Revenge
by StormyNight55
Summary: Sequel to 'Survive'. Hawkfrost and Darkstripe are plotting to avenge Tigerstar, and all those who they blame will suffer for his death. ThunderClan is left in confusion and shambles, aside from a single frightened apprentice with a peculiar sixth sense...
1. Prolouge

Well, this is it - the sequal to 'Survive'. The prolouge, at least! And that's a start. I thought I might never be inspired to do it, but I was struck while taking a test the other day. I'll still be working on 'Three Leaves' too, so don't worry about that. And **Tuume**, your one-shot is around half-way done, so I'm not blowing you off for these other projects! =]

By the way, I re-read 'Survive' prior to starting this...and I don't know if I'm right, but I feel like my style has really improved since then. I was really, really tempted to hold this off and re-write 'Survive', because some of the things/mistakes I saw just bothered me. But I decided I'd leave it alone, and maybe a re-write will be in order one day.

**Disclaimer; do I ever own anything? No.**

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No leaves were stirred by the wind, not a single whiff of prey scent hung in the air. The air itself was still - suspended in space, only wafting slightly when the occasional cat padded through. However, not many cats lived in such a place.

"So?" A dark tabby snapped. "You had something to discuss with me?"

A brown tom was seated upon a boulder, one that had been formerly most occupied by his father. He turned his head to face the cat entering the clearing, icy blue irises piercing into the cat's emerald ones.

"I do, Darkstripe," the tom answered. "I am giving you the opportunity to help me get revenge."

The word sparked the black tom's intrest. Revenge? One of the few things that intrested him.

"Go on," he urged.

"Did you think I was going to take the death of Tigerstar sitting down? His soul has been destroyed, Darkstripe, and all cats who are to blame must suffer for it."

Darkstripe growled to himself. Tigerstar's soul...it really was gone. The tabby tom would never walk the Place of No Stars again - he would never walk any afterlife again. He had simply ceased to exist.

"And?" He went on, pushing weak feelings aside. "Explain your plan, Hawkfrost."

"You know who was responsible for the fate Tigerstar suffered," Hawkfrost explained, and Darkstripe bristled. Yes, he knew. That mouse-brained, kittypet-hearted Firestar was to blame. "And you, no doubt, agree that he and those who aided him must be punished for what they've done. Lionblaze deserves to die for what he caused."

"Lionblaze?" Darkstripe snapped. "It was Firestar who destroyed Tigerstar's soul! He should suffer for it!"

"We can kill them all, if you like." He purred, seeming excited at the prospect of killing anyone at all. "Who and when is not the issue - we have all the time in the world to decide."

"How, is a bigger problem." Darkstripe interjected. "How can a dead cat kill a living one?"

"Simple. We use living cats."

"Tigerstar tried that with Brambleclaw," he rebuked. "And again with Lionblaze. He failed both times. What makes you think you can succeed where Tigerstar could not?"

"That's not what I mean," he went on. "Tigerstar hoped to train Brambleclaw and Lionblaze to do his work for him. I, however, can learn from his mistakes. We cannot control the actions of living cats in the living world. If we bring them here, however..."

"Here?" Darkstripe couldn't help but gape. "How could you bring a living cat here?"

"Tigerstar passed into the living world by using Lionblaze's body," he explained. "You've been there yourself, though you could only manage a few moments without a living body to inhabit."

Darkstripe recalled. He had been nearly motionless for what had felt like moons afterwards, the effort of walking through the living world without a body having drained all the energy he had.

"I have a plan," Hawkfrost assured him, "and I'm inclined to begin with one of Tawnypelt's kit's - Tigerkit, particularly."

"She named one after Tigerstar?"

"After him I'm not so sure," He went on, "To redeem the name is more likely."

Darkstripe growled. The name didn't need redeeming - Tigerstar had been a powerful cat, and he had proved unstoppable even in death.

"The other two are Flamekit and Dawnkit," He explained. "A tom and a she-cat."

"When do you plan to start?" Darkstripe inquired.

Hawkfrost chuckled and his blue eyes gleamed - the tom was clearly anxious to get this plan in action, but was restraining his emotions.

"As soon as possible."


	2. Unknown Illness

**Disclaimer; I don't own anything!**

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"Flamekit! Flamekit, wait up!"

A small tabby bound after his brother, his sister not far behind.

"You guys are slow!" The ginger kit called back, and the tabby, not to be outdone, picked up speed.

"Hey! Both you guys are cheating! My legs are shorter!"

The last kit, a small tortishell, brought up the rear. Tigerkit caught up to his brother and crashed into him, recieving a squeak of suprise from Flamekit and rolling head over paws for a few fox-lengths before thudding into a bush.

"Ohh." Tigerkit shook his head and backed out of the shrub. "That kinda hurt."

"Where do we start looking?" Dawnkit panted, catching up to where her brothers had stopped.

"Everywhere!" Flamekit piped up. "There's a whole territory to explore!"

Tigerkit tried smelling for a mouse, or a frog, anything - but his inexperienced nose couldn't pick up a single scent.

"I don't smell anything," he pouted. "I told you this was a bad idea, Flamekit!"

A sudden shape in the shadows caught their attention. The three kits turned their attention to the shrubbery - just in time to see a gray, hazy figure emerge, padding soundlessly towards them in the shadows.

"W-what is that?" Dawnkit squeaked. Neither of her brothers answered her, and Tigerkit felt himself chill with fear with each step closer. The spectre stopped a few feet from them, then, as if in slow motion, stretched it's maw wider than Tigerkit knew to be possible. Long teeth hung from it's mouth, the rest of it's face seeming to distort as it's jaws widened. Tigerkit was just about to turn and dash away when the creature leapt towards him, sinking his terrible fangs into Tigerkit's body. Instead of searing pain, as he had imagined such teeth would inflict, his entire body began to burn. Even more strangely, it felt as if his mind were in the most pain. He shrieked aloud, hoping his mother would hear him and save him from such terrible agony. Then, it began to ebb, leaving a feeling of icy cold in it's wake. Within seconds he began to shiver uncontrollably, his fur puffed out and eyes wide. Just as he became used to this sea of bitter cold, forgetting the pit of fire he had been engulfed in moments before - it stopped. He felt not even a dull ache, like he had felt when Littlecloud had pulled a thorn from his pad moons before. And then, just as quickly, he realized that he could no longer see the marshy territory of ShadowClan, or his brother and sister.

Neither of the two small kits remaining knew anything of their brother's experience. All their eyes could capture were the shadowy movements of the figure, how their brother had fallen to the ground, and how the foggy creature seemed to have vanished into thin air. Most importantly, they had seen nothing of the small, white specter grasped in his smoky jaws.

--

Tawnypelt's sleep was disturbed by the feeling of four small paws prodding her side, and the yowlings of two, relentless kits. She yawned slowly and opened her eyes.

"What is it, you two?" She grumbled. "I've told you about waking up cats who are sleeping."

"You gotta come see!" Flamekit was urging, Dawnkit cutting him off.

"Something's wrong with Tigerkit!"

Tawnypelt sprung to her feet. Beside her, a white queen named Snowbird had also risen, apparently woken by Flamekit and Dawnkit's cries.

"Where is he?" She snapped.

"N-not in camp," Flamekit's ears flattened, as if he now realized for the first time he was going to have to confess what he and his siblings had done.

"What were the three of you doing out of camp?" She hissed, her patience already short.

"We just wanted to catch some fresh-kill!" Dawnkit tried to explain, "We wanted to help the Clan."

"You can help the Clan by staying out of trouble!" Tawnypelt growled. "Hunting is for warriors and apprentices, not foolish kits!"

"Would you like me to keep an eye on them for you, Tawnypelt?" Snowbird asked.

"I need them to come with me," She responded. "They have some explaining to do."

"Here, I'll take one. We'll travel much faster that way." She scooped up Dawnkit and Tawnypelt grabbed Flamekit. The two queens hurried into the marshy forest, guided by their senses and the kits' loose directions. Within a few moments, they had found Tigerkit.

"Tigerkit?" Tawnypelt mumbled through a mouthful of fur. Placing Flamekit down, she padded closer. "Tigerkit?"

The small tabby didn't move. Tawnypelt's heart began to race.

"Tigerkit? Get up!" She prodded him with a forepaw. "You're in big trouble for this - get up now!"

But even at the sound of his mother's anger, the tiny kit did not stir.

--

Breezepelt's jaws gaped as he yawned, stretching in the morning sun. Moons before, he had been more accustomed to the sun's light brightening the moor and the wind stirring his Clanmates out of their slumber. Nowadays, Breezepelt was more used to the beams of sun that crept through leafy trees, and the ThunderClan cats around him prodding each other awake.

Some more impatiently than others.

"Come on, Cinderheart! Please? I really wanna go hunting today."

"It's early, Lonepaw, get Toadpaw and Rosepaw to share some fresh-kill with you and then we'll talk."

Breezepelt rolled his eyes at the tortishell she-cat's antics. Lonepaw was known for being chatty and bubbly - an annoying apprentice to most. Mousefur, the oldest ThunderClan elder, often complained that there hadn't been a more boisterous apprentice since Graystripe was one.

"Breezepelt, will you take me hunting?"

"That's not my job." He sighed, having guessed Lonepaw would target him next. "Do as Cinderheart says."

Lonepaw sighed loudly, and Breezepelt realized with a start that she was imitating what he had done to her.

"Fine." She was about to turn tail when a loud yowl sounded from the westernmost entrance to camp. Every cat turned to look, and were startled when Tawnypelt crashed in, followed closely by two exhausted looking kits, with another in her jaws.

"Tawnypelt," Brambleclaw, who had been listlessly picking at a piece of prey, actually looked lively for the first time in moons. "What are you doing here?"

She pushed past questioning cats, ignoring them, and placed the kit in her maw at her brother's paws. It lay as if lifeless.

"Tigerkit," she looked up at him, "he doesn't move, doesn't eat. But he never gets any weaker, Brambleclaw. It's like he's living off of nothing, and no cat can do that!"

"Tawnypelt!"

The crowd parted to allow Firestar access to the visitors. The two, _living _kits pressed up against there mother's back legs, shrinking before Firestar.

"Tawnypelt," Firestar repeated, "What is your reason for coming here?" He seemed to appear stern, but Breezepelt heard a bit of true concern in his voice.

"My son," she dipped her head respectfully, "Tigerkit. He's been like this for three days now, not moving or eating. Yet, even though he's only a kit, he hasn't gotten any weaker, or appeared to need milk. I came here thinking you may know something about this."

"Of course not." Firestar responded. "I'm sorry, Tawnypelt, but I'm no more sure of your son's illness than you are."

"Could you have Leafpool look at him, perhaps?" She asked.

"Why not your own medicine cat?" Ferncloud asked from the crowd. "Why's she come here when her own medicine cat could do the job?"

"ShadowClan's medicine cat has found nothing!" Tawnypelt snapped. "And none of the queens have seen anything like it before. Not even the elders can offer advice. I've come here because it's my last hope to get my son back!"

"Tawnypelt," Firestar touched his tail tip to her shoulder, and her bristled fur fell flat. "Leafpool and Jayfeather can certainly take a look at Tigerkit. But don't expect any miracles."

Tawnypelt nodded softly. She picked the limp kit up in her jaws gently and followed the ThunderClan leader towards the medicine den.

Breezepelt watched them go, unsatisfied. Tawnypelt wasn't a weak cat, he knew this from the journey he had been on with her, even if it had been many moons ago. Why would she come to ThunderClan with this problem? Did she think only her birth Clan held the answer? And why would she think ThunderClan was any the wiser than ShadowClan?

"Strange," he heard a cat mumble from nearby. It was Hollyleaf, conversing with Cinderheart.

"I want to know what it could be," Cinderheart said seriously. "An illness that makes a cat unable to move, speak or eat? Sounds deadly enough to me."

"But Tawnypelt said Tigerkit hadn't gotten any weaker."

"It's only been three days." Breezepelt cut in. "There's still time for his condition to get worse."

"More than anything," Lionblaze, who appeared from behind his sister, commented, "I'm sort of bothered by the fact that she named the kit after Tigerstar."

Breezepelt understood why. Lionblaze had conversed with Tigerstar for some time, thinking the dead tom to be a misunderstood cat who only wanted to make him a strong warrior. In the end, Tigerstar had tried to use Lionblaze to kill Breezepelt, then take over the forest. He had failed when Firestar and Graystripe had intervened, killing Lionblaze and effectively destroying Tigerstar's spirit. StarClan had brought Lionblaze back to life, knowing that Lionblaze's death had been something that had been unavoidable, yet not meant to happen.

"I doubt she named it _after _him," Hollyleaf said, "more like to give the name a fresh start. I mean, most names get used more than once. 'Tiger' hasn't been used since Tigerstar's time. Everyone's bothered by the name, but it wasn't the name that did anything."

"Makes sense." Breezepelt shrugged.

A call from across camp made Cinderheart's ears perk.

"Oh, Lonepaw's calling." She sighed. "I forgot I told her we'd train today."

She trudged off, and left Breezepelt, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf to ponder Tigerkit's strange condition alone.

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Review, please!


	3. Voices Buzzing

**Disclaimer; I don't own Warriors.**

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"Nice work today, Lonepaw."

The tortishell she-cat's tail swayed with joy at the praise as she and her mentor added their kills to the fresh-kill pile.

"Do you think Jayfeather wants a piece?" She inquired, pulling a mouse closer to her. Cinderheart shrugged.

"Bringing him something couldn't hurt," she replied. "I'm sure he would appreciate it."

Snatching up the prey, Lonepaw hurried over to the medicine den. She disappeared inside, immidiately spotting Jayfeather and Leafpool murmuring over the fallen ShadowClan kit that Tawnypelt had brought earlier that day.

"Hi, Jayfeather," she greeted, "hi, Leafpool."

Leafpool meowed a response, but Jayfeather was prodding the small kit gently. Lonepaw dropped the mouse at her paws.

"I was wondering if either of you needed anything to eat," she inquired. "I brought a mouse."

"Thanks, Lonepaw," Jayfeather suddenly answered.

"Come bring it here," Leafpool motioned, going back to her work. She picked it up and carried it closer, but as she approached the three, something began to buzz in her ears. Lonepaw flicked one with her forepaw, but the sound did not cease. The buzzing grew louder, and she stopped, unable to focus on much else. Jayfeather's mouth moved in speech, but she could not hear over the loud humming noise. Suddenly, a murmur slipped through - but the voice did not belong to Jayfeather or Leafpool.

_The others…_

_There will…more…._

_We…time in the world…_

She dropped the mouse where she stood, and startled and confused, turned and meowed a goodbye before hurrying away.

---

Breezepelt was chewing on a piece of fresh-kill when Lonepaw took a seat beside him, pressing her fur up to his, ears flattened.

"Lonepaw?" His eyes narrowed. This was not normal behavior for his active apprentice. Normally, she would be too busy running around to sit down so silently, and she hadn't nuzzled up to him like this since she was a kit.

"Can I ask you something, Breezepelt?"

"Of course," he answered, her quiet tone concerning him further.

"But…you can't tell anyone, alright?" She went on.

His ears tipped back a bit.

"What's this about?"

"You have to promise first!" She insisted.

"Alright," he sighed. "I promise I won't tell anyone, without asking first, at least."

"Okay," she sighed before going on, "have you seen that ShadowClan kit yet?"

"Tigerkit?" He asked. "I've seen him, yes."

"But have you…gone in the den to see him?"

"No, what difference does it make?" He inquired, growing more suspicious and concerned every second.

"Well, I did because I was bringing fresh-kill for Jayfeather or Leafpool," she went on, voice merely a whisper. "And I kept hearing weird things."

"What kind of weird things?"

"Like…" she paused. "Jayfeather was talking, but I couldn't hear him because all I _could _hear was this…buzzing sound. And then there were other voices, but they weren't Leafpool _or _Jayfeather! So I got kind of scared and left, and as soon as I got away from Tigerkit I couldn't hear them anymore."

Breezepelt stared for a moment, as confused as Lonepaw looked.

"Is that normal?" She asked, her voice barely a peep. He couldn't bear to scare her any more than she seemed already, but he wasn't going to lie to her.

"No," he meowed. "But don't worry about it too much, alright, Lonepaw? Don't tell anyone -" a thought occurred to him, "but Lionblaze and Jayfeather may be able to help. I can tell them, can't I?"

She nodded, green eyes cast at the ground.

"Look," he started firmly. "I want you to forget about this for now. Focus on your training - and don't go near Tigerkit again."

She nodded again, getting to her paws. He sighed.

"Go get Toadpaw or Rosepaw," he instructed, knowing just how to cheer her up. "I'll take you hunting, unless you've already had enough for today."

Her head immidiately snapped up.

"I can always hunt more!" She meowed, scampering away. "Thanks, Breezepelt!"

He sighed once more, muttering something to himself about becoming a sap.

---

"Lionblaze."

The tom looked up, catching Breezepelt's amber gaze in the fading remnants of daylight. His ears tipped back at the serious tone his mate was using.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Are you busy?" He asked. "We need to talk."

His chest tightened a little with nervousness.

"No," he meowed. "What is it, Breezepelt? Is something wrong?"

He didn't answer, and instead beckoned Lionblaze to follow as he padded off. He did, in a hurried fashion, and as they headed out of camp, Breezepelt began to speak.

"It's about Lonepaw," he began.

"Oh," he meowed. "What's wrong? She's alright, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's fine," he continued. "But…she's been hearing things."

"What kind of things?"

"She went to deliver some fresh-kill this morning," he explained, "to Jayfeather and Leafpool. They were with Tigerkit, as you know."

"Yeah?"

"Well, apparently she heard some things."

"Like what, though?" He asked again.

"She said it sounded like buzzing." He stopped, apparently having gone far enough into the forest, and sat. "And she couldn't hear Jayfeather or Leafpool, though she was pretty sure they were speaking. Apparently she heard some other voices, and she's not sure who they belonged to. As soon as she left the den, the sounds stopped."

Lionblaze's ears tipped back in concern.

"What do you think she heard?"

"I don't know," Breezepelt confessed. "But the farther she got from Tigerkit, the quieter the voices were. I told her to stay away from him and focus on her training."

"Maybe she needs to go by him more often," he suggested, "and figure out what these voices are and what they're saying."

"I don't want to scare her anymore than she already is, Lionblaze!" He scolded. "She doesn't need that."

"But how else will we find out what she's hearing?"

"I don't know," he shook his head exasperatedly. "Do you think Jayfeather would know anything?"

"Maybe," Lionblaze shrugged. "We could explain it to him, and he is a medicine cat after all. Maybe he's already got an idea of what's wrong with Tigerkit."

Breezepelt sighed, tail lashing once across the grass behind him.

"Alright," he nodded. "Let's go, then."

---

Breezepelt opened his eyes again, unable to focus on sleep. His mind turned with ideas of what Lonepaw could be hearing, and Jayfeather had been no help. They all needed time to think, and he could only distract Lonepaw from her own problem for so long.

Getting to his paws, he stepped carefully over the other ThunderClan cats and into the clearing. Settling down again, he felt slightly better. WindClan cats usually slept under the stars on the open moor. He still felt cramped and crushed in ThunderClan's dens.

_Whatever those voices are, _he thought to himself, rolling onto his back in hopes of seeing the stars. A few crept through the trees, but it was nothing compared to the view of Silverpelt he used to have at WindClan camp. _They had better leave her alone; or they're going to deal with me._

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Review, please!


	4. He Doesn't Have To Know

**Disclaimer; I don't own anything! Except Lonepaw, I suppose?**

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"We'll go!"

"Take us, Sandstorm! Please?"

"Alright, alright," the senior warrior purred, flicked the two of them over the head with her tail. "Lonepaw, Toadpaw, would you like to come with me on patrol?"

"Yes!" They said in unison.

The ginger she-cat rolled her eyes, signaling for Ferncloud to accompany them. Lonepaw was never sure why the Clan tried so hard to include Ferncloud in daily warrior activates; she never seemed to enjoy them. She did a lot of hanging around the nursery, however, and fawning over Wingkit and Owlkit.

"What border are we patrolling, Sandstorm?" Toadpaw asked, falling behind the two warriors to walk in step with Lonepaw.

"ShadowClan's," she answered, the group heading into the forest.

"Did Jayfeather or Leafpool ever find out what was wrong with that kit?" Ferncloud inquired to Sandstorm, concern evident in her green eyes.

"No," she answered. "Tawnypelt left with him this morning."

Ferncloud sighed, blinking slowly. "The poor little thing. Tawnypelt must be a wreck."

"He's a ShadowClan kit, isn't he?" Toadpaw whispered to Lonepaw. "What does Ferncloud care what happens to him?"

Lonepaw shrugged. "Doesn't Ferncloud care about every cat's kits like their her own?"

Toadpaw opened his mouth to speak again, but Lonepaw was suddenly focused on something else. A tiny buzzing, slowly growing louder…

"Wait, what did you say?" She meowed, but she could hardly hear herself over the growing noise. She looked ahead at the two warriors, and the humming sound became scattered by voices.

_Her next…_

…_devastated…_

_He deserves…the other one next…_

_No! I want…_

She didn't notice until the rest of the patrol was staring at her that she had stopped dead in her tracks. Sandstorm's eyes narrowed with concern, and she meowed something that Lonepaw could not understand. She murmured an apology and that she wasn't feeling well before turning and rushing back towards camp.

---

Lonepaw was woken by a horrible wail.

She jumped to her feet, instantly awakened by the sound. Toadpaw and Rosepaw were waking with the same confusion, the three of them staring at each other for a moment longer before hurrying outside.

"Sandstorm," Firestar was prodding the ginger she-cat's fallen body. "Sandstorm."

While Toadpaw and Rosepaw continued closer, Lonepaw halted in her tracks with horror.

"Do you think…?" Graystripe, who was knelt beside Firestar, trailed off as more of the Clan gathered around.

"No," Firestar shook his head. "No, that can't be it. Leafpool! Jayfeather!"

ThunderClan's two medicine cats hurried out, examining the body. Lonepaw was frozen with shock - she didn't need to hear their diagnosis to know what had happened.

"She appears to have the same condition Tigerkit has, Firestar," Leafpool meowed solemnly, watching her mother with pained eyes.

Lonepaw's heart sank in her chest, and her ears flattened. Great StarClan, she had been right…

"Lonepaw?" Breezepelt was drawing closer. "You look ill."

"I heard them," she rushed, "I heard them yesterday, talking about Sandstorm."

"Heard who?" The black tom stopped.

"The voices!" She whispered frantically, continuing to stare at the senior warrior's still frame. "The ones by Tigerkit! They were talking while Sandstorm was on patrol, and I got scared and came back to camp, and now, now she's…!"

"Lonepaw, calm down," he instructed sternly. "What did you hear these voices say?"

"I don't know," she shook her head. "There were two, and they sounded like they were arguing. But I heard them, and then I didn't tell anybody, and now Sandstorm's been taken too!"

"What do you mean, 'taken'?" Breezepelt kept going. "What makes you think she's been taken somewhere?"

"Well, she's not here anymore!" She exclaimed, flicking her tail towards the ginger she-cat's motionless body. "The voices were saying she was next, and now she's gone!"

_"Sh!"_ He hissed. "Do you want the whole Clan knowing you hear voices?"

Her ears flattened and she cast her eyes at the ground. No, she didn't want the whole Clan knowing she was a freak.

"Come with me," he beckoned. "We need to talk to Jayfeather and Lionblaze."

---

"We _need _to tell Firestar."

"Are you sure?" Lionblaze inquired, watching his blind brother with concern. "I mean, isn't there something we can do ourselves first?"

"It's my job to find out what's been going on with these cats," the gray tom continued. "We need to tell Firestar."

"But he's not going to tell anyone else, right?" Lonepaw piped up quietly. The serious way Breezepelt, Jayfeather and Lionblaze were talking made her hesitant to interrupt, but she had to know.

"Unless it's necessary, no," Jayfeather went on. "Though he'll probably want to inform Brambleclaw and Leafpool."

"But I don't want everyone knowing!" She meowed. "Everyone's going to think I'm a freak!"

"No one's going to think that," Breezepelt scolded her.

"Yes, they are," she murmured, but the older cats had gone back to conversing without her.

"Wait," Jayfeather suddenly halted the other two. "There's something I want to try before we tell Firestar."

"What is it?" Lionblaze asked.

"Don't worry about it," Jayfeather flicked his tail dismissively. "But I need to think about how I'm going to go about it first."

"Alright," Lionblaze got to his paws hesitantly. "I'll come back later, then?"

"Tommorow," Jayfeather nodded.

"You're not going to tell us your idea?" Breezepelt narrowed his eyes.

"Not until I've figured out if it'll work," he confirmed. Breezepelt lashed his tail once.

"If it involved Lonepaw," he meowed suspiciously, as if she were not sitting right there. "You _would _tell me, wouldn't you?"

"Of course," Jayfeather snorted. "I like my ears the way they are, thank you."

Breezepelt eyed him for a moment longer before getting to his paws, and instructing Lonepaw to follow him out of the den.

---

"Lonepaw."

"…Lonepaw, get up."

"Hey, you lazy furball…"

Lonepaw was being relentlessly prodded out of her slumber. Looking around sleepily, she spotted Jayfeather in front of her, nudging her every few moments.

"I'm up, I'm up," she meowed, then lowered her voice when she realized it was still dark, and the other two apprentices were sleeping. "What's going on?"

"Come with me," he told her, turning around.

"Where are we going?" She asked, following him across camp.

"Just to my den," he answered, disappearing inside. He stepped carefully around Leafpool's sleeping form, and Lonepaw couldn't help but wonder how he had known where she was, being blind. "Now, lay down in the moss."

She crouched.

"No, get comfortable," he told her. "You're going to be sleeping here tonight."

"Why?" Her whiskers twitched. He settled down in front of her, the single bed of moss cramped with two cats.

"I told you earlier that I needed to test if my plan will work," he whispered. "We don't have time to waste, so I figured tonight would be the best plan."

"You said you'd tell Breezepelt if it involved me, though," she reminded. "He's going to be angry."

"He doesn't have to know, does he?" The sardonic gray cat snorted. "He's a nosy furball anyway. He ought to let a medicine cat do their job without sticking his opinion in it."

"He's not a nosy furball," she wrinkled her nose in irritation.

"You must be thinking of a different Breezepelt," Jayfeather meowed. Lonepaw was about to argue when he continued. "Now, lay your head down. We're going to sleep with our noses touching."

"Why?" She inquired again.

"Just do it," he grumbled quietly, clearly with thinning patience. "We'll know if my idea worked in the morning. Now, go to sleep."

Confused, and feeling a little awkward being nose-to-nose with ThunderClan's medicine cat, she closed her eyes and did her best to fall asleep as quickly and quietly as possible.


	5. Unfamiliar Territory

Please review =D

**Disclaimer; I don't own anything.**

* * *

When Jayfeather opened his eyes, the shadowy darkness was not the same as usual.

Instead a pitch blackness, he could make out trees and brush, though no cats and nothing stirring. He could see - it was simply dark.

"Jayfeather?"

The frightened voice behind him brought him out of his thoughts, and he turned around to find Lonepaw staring at him with wide, emerald eyes. For a moment he merely stared at her - it was always a shock to him when he saw a cat in his dreams that he had never truly seen before. Her fur was tortishell patterned, while her were ears tipped back and she was somewhat crouched to the ground. Her round eyes were scanning the area around her nervously.

"Where did we go?"

"We're in a dream," he clarified, hoping she wouldn't question too much of the 'how' and 'why's.

"But how can we both be having the same dream?" She asked.

"Medicine cats have different dreams than regular warriors," he murmured. "Haven't you ever heard of StarClan speaking through a medicine cat's dreams?"

"I know that." she straightened up a bit. "Is…is this what StarClan looks like?

Jayfeather turned back and surveyed the scene before answering.

"I don't think we're in StarClan, Lonepaw."

The apprentice fell silent.

A sudden rustle in the nearby bushes put Jayfeather on edge. He crouched, hearing Lonepaw do the same behind him with a slight whimper of fear. Creeping forward, he peered out of the thick brush silently as Lonepaw sidled up beside him.

"I don't want to play anymore."

The voice was that of a kit, it's tone bordering on a whine.

"You don't?" The second voice was much older sounding, clearly belonging to a full grown tom. "Don't you want to become a warrior?"

"I want to play with Flamekit and Dawnkit now," the kit pouted, and at the names of Tawnypelt's other kits, Jayfeather pressed forward slightly. He could see just past the leaves, and make out the forms of three cats. Two toms, and a kit.

It had to be Tigerkit.

Lonepaw seemed to notice just as he did and gasped quietly, but not quietly enough. Before he could scold her, the two toms turned and stared in their direction, a pair of green and ice blue eyes blazing in the half-light. Jayfeather froze.

"Bear your claws, Darkstripe," one, a dark brown tabby, hissed. "We've got visitors…"

Jayfeather glanced over at Lonepaw and whispered.

"Run."

---

She took off in a hot sprint without a second thought.

How Jayfeather was keeping up was beyond her - wouldn't the unfamiliar forest make it hard for him to navigate? But she didn't have time to question that. Leaping over a log, she heard a sudden cry and looked over her shoulder.

Jayfeather was splayed out in the leaf-litter, scrambling to his paws. Just as he had regained his footing, Lonepaw's eyes widened with horror as one of the toms leapt over the log and came into view, looming in the air for a moment before landing hard on Jayfeather, knocking him back to the ground.

"Lionblaze's brother, aren't you?" The dark tom hissed delightedly, green eyes glimmering. "Don't run off just yet!"

Wrenching a shriek from the medicine cat, the tom dragged his unsheathed claws down sides of gray fur. Lonepaw stood, frozen with fear as blood spurted from the wounds and Jayfeather's cry seemed to go on forever…

---

Lonepaw's eyes snapped open, staring into a pair of peacefully closed ones.

She jumped back, heart still racing, blood pumping and claws unsheathed. Taking a few moments to gather herself, she forced her fur to lie flat and relaxed slightly.

"Jayfeather?" She meowed.

The medicine cat did not stir.

"Jayfeather," she prodded him carefully with a forepaw. "Get up."

The gray tom stayed motionless.

"Jayfeather," she said one last time, forcefully. When he did not move, she backed up a step.

_He's still there, _she thought frantically. _They got him. They took him too. _

Turning and racing out of the den, she scanned the clearing for Lionblaze or Breezepelt.

"Toadpaw!" She hurried over to her friend. "Have you seen Breezepelt?"

"No," he answered, cocking his head to one side. "I think he's on patrol with Lionblaze. Why?"

"They're both gone?" She exclaimed. "I don't have time to explain, I - hey, Hollyleaf!"

She dashed away, leaving a confused apprentice in her wake. She needed to tell someone _now, _and Hollyleaf was Jayfeather's sibling too. Didn't she deserve to know like Lionblaze did?

"Oh," the black she-cat began, stretched out in the sun. "Hey, Lonepaw."

"Jayfeather's been taken," she hurried. "Like Sandstorm, and Tigerkit!"

The relaxed expression on Hollyleaf's face instantly darkened, and she got to her paws.

"What?" She stepped closer. "Lonepaw, what are you saying?"

"Jayfeather's not moving," she rushed on, "he's just like Sandstorm and Tigerkit!"

"No," Hollyleaf stated, not with over emotion, or even fear. It was more like a fact. "Where is he?"

"In his den," she meowed, Hollyleaf suddenly rushing past her and closing the distance between she and the medicine den. Lonepaw turned and waited for her to remerge, and closed the gap when Hollyleaf beckoned her closer.

"We need to inform Firestar," she said, eyes clouded, yet voice determined. "Come on."

She followed without question.

---

She tossed.

Turned.

Flipped.

"Lonepaw," Rosepaw moaned. "Go to sleep already."

"Sorry," she mewed, sighing heavily. She _couldn't _sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw those glittering green eyes and heard Jayfeather's shriek. You weren't supposed to get hurt in a dream. That was why only kits were afraid of nightmares. Every sensible cat knew you couldn't really be hurt in a dream...but Jayfeather's screech had been so real, his blood spattering the dream forest's leaf-litter like a real wound would.

Getting to her paws, she maneuvered around Rosepaw and Toadpaw's dozing forms and stepped outside. Immidiately, she spotted Breezepelt lying in the clearing.

"What are you doing?" She piped up quietly, moving closer. He rolled over, giving her a look of suspicion.

"What are _you _doing?" He returned. "I like sleeping out here."

"Oh," she meowed. "I can't sleep."

"Why not?"

"I don't know," she mumbled, unwilling to share what she and Jayfeather had witnessed. After all, Breezepelt would just be angry if he knew, and probably disappointed that she hadn't fought Jayfeather's suggestion more. She didn't want that. "Can I sleep out here with you?"

"You're not a kit anymore," he snorted. "You have your own den."

"But I don't want to sleep there," she continued, lying down next to him regardless as he sighed heavily. "Please?"

"Fine," he grumbled, laying his head down. "But don't expect me to wake you up when I do. When everyone laughs at you for sleeping out in the clearing at noonhigh, it'll be your own fault."

"That's okay," she yawned, pressing her head into his flank. "I'll just tell them you were here first…"

"I'm a WindClan cat," he justified. "I sleep under the stars."

"Oh…" she meowed, yawning once more before drifting off, feeling much safer here, and hardly sparing a thought to the shadowy forest where Jayfeather was being held.


	6. Why Only Me?

**Disclaimer; I never claim to own anything.**

* * *

Lonepaw pulled a mouse towards her, laughing.

"I swear, he looked just like this!" Rosepaw pressed her front to the ground while leaving her hindquarters high in the air, tail swaying. Toadpaw cringed.

"I did not!" He defended. "Hollyleaf says I'm doing well!"

"Hollyleaf _wishes _you were doing well," Rosepaw purred, and was soon tackled by her littermate. Lonepaw could hardly swallow her bite as she bit back more laughter.

"I'm sure you were alright, Toadpaw," Lonepaw meowed.

"'Alright'?" He looked back at her. "Just '_alright'_?"

She shrugged. "I've never seen you hunt…"

"Rosepaw's a liar," he insisted, going back to his own meal. "You can't trust a hair on her pelt, let alone anything that comes out of her mouth."

"What are you three arguing about?" Cloudtail suddenly appeared, settling down and grabbing a piece of prey for himself.

"Rosepaw's telling Lonepaw I'm an awful hunter!" Toadpaw cried.

"I didn't say 'awful'!" Rosepaw meowed.

"I'm sure she's exaggerating, Toadpaw," Cloudtail purred. "Why don't you eat that vole before it turns to crowfood?"

Toadpaw had taken but one bite of his own prey, having spent most of the meal pouncing on his sister. Eyeing the she-cat harshly, he settled down and took another mouthful. Lonepaw went to take another bite, but was distracted by a quiet buzzing in the back of her mind.

"Do you hear that?" She meowed absent-mindedly, looking around for a second and swallowing. "Sounds kind of like a fly."

"Nope," Cloudtail answered, but as he continued his sentence it trailed off into nothingness. The humming grew louder, and completely overtook his speech. As she turned to face the white warrior, it only increased in volume before being shattered by voices.

_Perfect next…_

_Never see what's…_

…_noticed yet? _

…_pattern…_

In an instant, she realized what was happening and stumbled to her paws. Staring wide-eyed at Cloudtail for a moment longer, she excused herself and dashed into the forest.

---

_Great StarClan. _

Breezepelt walked into camp to find ThunderClan cats huddled around a single warrior; Cloudtail. The white tom was lying limp and motionless, and for a moment Breezepelt assumed him dead.

"He's got what Jayfeather and Sandstorm have," Lionblaze whispered, padding closer.

"Another one?" He meowed quietly. Brightheart was pressing her nose into her mate's flank, their two kits nudging at their father with playful insistence. He doubted that they knew the magnitude of what had happened.

"Leafpool hasn't found anything?"

"No," Lionblaze glanced at him. "I'm wondering if Lonepaw heard anything."

"_Sh_," he hissed. "We can ask her. Go find her, then."

Breezepelt was just about to watch Lionblaze go when a joyful yowl sounded in the medicine den. Heads turned as Leafpool rushed into the clearing, eyes bright.

"Sandstorm is awake!" She shouted, and suddenly the mood in camp took a twist. Cats were lingering around the body of Cloudtail, yet eager to question and greet the newly awakened ginger warrior. Firestar camp rushing from across the clearing to greet her as she stepped from the den, Breezepelt pleasantly surprised to see her up and walking again.

"How do you feel?" He heard Firestar say as he and Lionblaze padded closer, their mission to find Lonepaw momentarily forgotten.

"I'm fine," Sandstorm purred. "I just feel like I've been asleep for moons, that's all."

"I'm so glad you're awake," the leader purred, nuzzling his mate. Sandstorm returned the gesture, pulling back after a quick second. "I missed you."

"Hunt with me?" She offered. "I need to stretch."

"Of course," he agreed fervently, calling over Brambleclaw to hold camp together in his temporary absence.

"Wait," Leafpool halted the pair before they could leave. "A few questions first, Sandstorm. Do you remember anything before falling unconscious?"

"No," she shook her head disappointedly. "I was walking through the forest, and suddenly everything was black."

Leafpool looked disheartened. "Alright. Tell me if anything seems off, okay?"

Sandstorm nodded, the pair exiting camp. With the excitement dying down, Breezepelt turned back towards Lionblaze.

"Lonepaw," he reminded.

"Oh," Lionblaze perked up. "Right."

The two of them headed for the apprentice den, where Lonepaw was lingering. As she spotted them approaching, the she-cat's ears flattened.

"What?" Breezepelt immidaitely accused. "We haven't even opened our mouths yet. You look guilty already."

"You're going to ask me about Cloudtail, aren't you?" She whispered.

"Of course," he continued. "Did you hear anything?"

Lonepaw was silent. Breezpelt's tail lashed.

"So you did?" He asked impatiently. When she turned her eyes to the ground, he scowled.

"It's alright, Lonepaw," Lionblaze comforted.

"No, it's not," Breezepelt insisted. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I don't know," she meowed.

"That's not a good enough answer," he went on.

"Make sure you say something from now on, alright?" Lionblaze said more gently. "It's important. You know we won't tell anyone without asking you first."

Lonepaw nodded, eyes flickering around for an escape route. Breezepelt let out an angry sigh and got to his paws, padding away.

---

When Lonepaw saw Sandstorm return to camp, she knew this was her chance.

Breezepelt and Lionblaze had both been disappointed that she hadn't spoken up about Cloudtail, but she had her own questions to ask Sandstorm. Surely the ginger she-cat remembered _something _of her incident?

"Hey, Sandstorm!" She called, the senior warrior turning her head. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Of course," she responded, padding over. "What is it?"

"I wanted to ask you about what happened," she began. "Did you…did you hear anything odd before you fell unconscious?"

Sandstorm twitched her whiskers.

"No," she meowed. "I don't remember anything strange."

"No…voices?" She decided to be outright and ask.

"No," she answered hesitantly, eyes narrowing. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope," she shook her head, getting to her paws and thinking of a quick cover-story. "I just overheard Leafpool discussing something about Tigerkit and thought maybe I'd ask…"

"Perhaps you'd better leave Leafpool's job to Leafpool," Sandstorm chuckled, and Lonepaw turned away.

_Not even Sandstorm remembers hearing anything weird, _she thought frantically. _Why is it only me?_

_Why do I have to be alone?_

_

* * *

_

Review, please!


	7. Breezepelt vs Lionblaze

**Disclaimer; I don't own anything. Not even enough motivation to properly juggle several projects at once.**

* * *

Lonepaw scampered out of the den, hurrying over to where Cinderheart was waiting. To her surprise, Sandstorm was there as well. It had been a few days, but Lonepaw wondered if letting Sandstorm go about her duties normally was a good idea so soon after her reawakening.

"Come on," Cinderheart beckoned her. "We have a patrol to start."

The three headed out, making their way towards the ShadowClan border. Not far after the start of their short journey, they reached the old Thunderpath.

"Careful crossing," Sandstorm warned.

"There aren't usually monsters though, right?" Lonepaw inquired.

"Not usually," Cinderheart answered. "But it's always good to be careful."

After scanning the area, Cinderheart started crossing. Lonepaw hurried after, with Sandstorm bringing up the rear. Just as they began, a sound reached Lonepaw's ears. Cinderheart's head snapped towards the sound, and her blue eyes widened.

"Monster!" She cried, frozen for a moment. After a second of waiting, Lonepaw realized that for whatever reason, her mentor wasn't going to move, and shoved the gray she-cat roughly from behind. With a start, as if she had snapped out of a trance, Cinderheart began bounding towards the other side of the road. Lonepaw took off after her, but after only a moment of running, she felt a rough shove and landed hard on the pavement.

The sound roared ever closer, and she sat and and shook her head clear of confusion. When she looked up, she found a horrified Cinderheart staring from the bushes, and Sandstorm frozen just at the edge of the Thunderpath, watching with equal fear. A loud blaring sounded through the air, and Lonepaw curled into herself, shoving her head between her paws just in time to block out the sight of monstrous black paws veering away from her.

"Lonepaw!"

Within moments, Cinderheart had scampered back onto the road, prodding her fervently. Sandstorm loped up behind, green eyes wide.

"I'm okay," she shuddered, only then realizing that she was shaking. "I'm okay. It m-missed me."

"Great StarClan," Sandstorm sighed. "I didn't realize you had tripped!"

Lonepaw blinked. She didn't _remember _tripping.

"But I didn't trip," she meowed.

"You must have," Cinderheart answered, panting harder than even Lonepaw was. "But it doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're okay! Great StarClan, that scared me..."

Lonepaw got to her paws, shaking pieces of Thunderpath from her fur.

"But I know I didn't trip…" she insisted.

"How else would you have fallen?" Sandstorm pointed out. "You're lucky that monster swerved. I thought for sure it was about to hit you!"

Lonepaw thought for a second as the two older cats turned away, following them out of danger's path. She _must _have tripped. There was no other way she could have fallen. After all, these were warriors. She was just being a silly apprentice, forgetting her own simple mistake.

She told herself this repeatedly, until she was sure that she believed it.

---

That night, Lonepaw's evening meal was interupted.

"Was I not clear?"

Immidaitely Lonepaw's ears flattened, heart dropping. She wasn't sure what she had done, but when Breezepelt used that tone, even in her bravest mood she was instantly cowering.

"Huh?" She managed to peep, abandoning her thrush and turning around to face him reluctantly.

"Guess what I just heard from Leafpool?" He growled quietly. "Go on."

"I don't know," she said honestly, bewildered.

"Graystripe's fallen ill just like the others," he clarified. "You didn't warn me or Lionblaze. Did we not make ourselves clear?"

"I didn't know!" She whispered frantically back. "I would have said something, I promise! I haven't been around Graystripe lately, if there was anything weird, I didn't hear it!"

Breezepelt narrowed his eyes before backing up.

"You're lucky I believe you," he snorted.

"Where is he?" She inquired, looking around camp. There were no crowds, nothing strange.

"Brambleclaw's off bringing him back now," he meowed. "He was found by a patrol in the forest."

"Oh," she mewed, ears still flat. "I promise I didn't know."

"I believe you," he repeated, the anger in his tone slipping away. Suddenly, a call from the Highledge caught their attentions, cats gathering around where Firestar was summoning them from.

"Cats of ThunderClan," he began, his tone composed, but his tail twitching. "You are all aware of the recent illness that has struck our Clan. Cats have been falling into a state of unconciousness, and so far only one has recovered. In order to better contain it, I have decided that no cat may leave camp alone until further notice."

"How will that help?" Spiderleg demanded from the crowd.

"If any cat falls ill," Firestar explained, "there will be another to witness it. Perhaps it will help us better understand what we're facing."

The Clan fell into mostly silent agreement, all of them willing to sacrifice venturing off alone for security. As Firestar leapt down from his perch, Lonepaw noticed Toadpaw approaching her.

"Hey, Lonepaw," he greeted, dropping a mouse at her paws. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she responded, a little confused as to why she was being asked. "Who's the mouse for?"

"You," he answered. "If you want it, of course."

"Oh!" She brightened. "Of course I want it. Thanks, Toadpaw!"

Surprised but delighted by her Clanmate's gesture, Lonepaw finished off the mouse quite quickly, licking her jaws and following her fellow apprentice to lounge near their den.

---

"We have to tell _somebody."_

"No, we don't!" Breezepelt snapped back. The grass beneath his paws bent as he walked determinedly along, muscles taught and lashing his tail as he went. Lionblaze traveled slightly behind him, rolling his eyes and lazily keeping up.

"Firestar needs to know, Breezepelt," he insisted. "He's my kin, what do you think he's going to do to her?"

"I don't know," Breezepelt meowed. "I don't care. I don't want everyone knowing Lonepaw can hear voices, Lionblaze, do you realize what that would do to her?"

"Make her different?" Lionblaze offered irritably.

"Yes," he confirmed, "and don't you dare for a moment suggest that 'different' in a Clan is a good thing."

"But Lonepaw could help!" He exclaimed. "That _would_ be a good thing!"

"That's not how all cats would see it, I'm sure."

"How much of this is about Lonepaw, anyway?" Lionblaze retorted, patience growing thin. "Why are you so afraid to let her be different?"

"She's already different enough as it is!" Breezepelt exclaimed. "She's not Clanborn, the closest thing she's got to a parent is me -"

"And _me?" _Lionblaze interupted, temper flaring suddenly. "Last time I checked, we were mates. Why don't you quit looking at her as _your _kit and try seeing her as _ours?" _

"She's not my kit," he answered. "_I _took her in, that's all."

"She might as well be!" He snapped. "It's not like you let anyone else get too close to her! Daisy helped raise her when she was still a kit -"

" - all she did was keep her in the nursery -"

" - you were furious when you didn't get chosen as her mentor -"

" - I was not _furious -"_

" - and even now, you work more with her than Cinderheart gets to!"

"Maybe Cinderheart should do a better job, then!" He answered.

"She does a fine job!" Lionblaze snapped. "Do you see what you just did? I listed off some of the things that ThunderClan's done for Lonepaw, and instead of acknowledging them all you did was make excuses as to why they weren't good enough! You think you know what's best for Lonepaw all the time, but you _don't_."

"Fine!" He hissed. "Tell Firestar, then. When ThunderClan's giving sideways glances at her and whispering rumors about her, you'll know I was right."

"Just because _you _were treated like that -"

"What?" He interupted, a flash of anger inspiring him. "This isn't anything to do with me!"

"Right," Lionblaze huffed, clearing losing ambition for the argument. "Whatever, Breezepelt. You're worried that Lonepaw's going to be treated like we were when everyone found out about us. Like that makes any sense."

"I didn't _say _that," he growled.

"Do you have to?" He stated. "You're afraid for Lonepaw to be different, because you're already different."

"I'm not afraid," he snapped. "I'm trying to protect her from what she shouldn't have to go through."

With that, he swept past Lionblaze in the direction of camp.

"You're going to leave me out here alone?" Lionblaze chuckled bitterly. "Even after what Firestar said? What if I'm taken next?"

"Then I'll thank StarClan," he shot back, not stopping for a second, even when he heard the slight sound of Lionblaze loping far behind him and making no effort to catch up.

* * *

Please review! Any predictions? I love when readers leave those =D


	8. The Creature

**Disclaimer; I don't own anything. Not even Fading Echoes. Sigh...**

* * *

When Breezepelt stomped back into camp, Lonepaw could almost feel his anger from across the clearing.

She really had no desire to speak with Breezepelt when he was clearly so angry, but as he made a straight shot towards her, she dared not try and escape. The last thing she wanted was Breezepelt this angry, at _her. _

"Come on," he snapped, beckoning her with his tail. "We're going hunting."

She didn't dare refuse.

Once they were out of earshot of the Clan, she opened her mouth to ask Breezepelt what was wrong. However, before she could, she heard a slight sound in the brush, and dropped into a crouch. Suddenly, without regard to her preparation, Breezepelt's muscles tightened and he broke into a run, a rabbit flushing out of the bushes. Lonepaw loved when Breezepelt chased after prey - she thought it was impressive, being fast enough to run after a rabbit and catch it. But she had heard the other ThunderClan cats talk about his hunting style as if it were ludicrous, sometimes even mocking it. She didn't think Breezepelt knew about that…and even if he did, she wasn't going to mention it.

When he returned a moment later, rabbit limp in his jaws, she posed her question.

"Are you angry, Breezepelt?"

He let the prey drop to the ground with a 'thump'.

"Not at you."

"What happened?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing," he snorted. However, after a moment more of her intent stare, he cracked. "It's nothing. Only Lionblaze."

"Did he say something to you?" She inquired, blinking a few times to help her focus.

"He's mouse-brained, that's all," he huffed. Lonepaw flicked at her ear with a forepaw.

"Why?"

As Breezepelt answered, she flicked her ears a few more times. After a third motion, Breezepelt stopped.

"What's wrong with you?" He narrowed his eyes. "Have you got flies in your ears or something?"

Lonepaw didn't answer as an irritating hum began, shaking her head slightly. She looked up at Breezepelt to assure him that she was fine when it suddenly burst forth with new volume, the familiar buzzing making her eyes widen.

"What?" Breezepelt snapped, his voice so forceful that she could hear it through the noise. His tone wasn't particularly angry, but…fearful?

_Now's the…_

…_he'll be perfect…_

…_over the…_

_Of course…_

"I hear them," she whispered, hardly able to hear herself speaking. Her ears flattened immidiately and her fur began to stand on end.

Breezepelt's own amber eyes widened with understanding, and at his expression Lonepaw sunk to the ground. Her mind was reeling as she tried to block out the white noise and whispers, screwing her eyes shut.

_Please don't take Breezepelt, please don't take Breezepelt…_

"Lonepaw," the black tom meowed, but he could not mask the quiver of nervousness in his voice. "Get up, you're overreacting."

"No!" She looked up, eyes snapping open. "They're going to take you next! I am _not _overreacting!"

"Shut up!" He snapped, and she fell silent. "Do not _shout _things like that, Lonepaw! I can't be taken if I'm never alone, now can I? No cat's ever been taken without being alone."

"I don't want you to go," she mumbled hopelessly, and Breezepelt's eyes softened as she crawled forward a bit and pressed her nose against his paw.

_A dark tom was poised over a pool of water, staring menacingly into it's depths, eyes glowing with poisonous delight. His claws flexed against the dirt, tail lashing as if he were ready to pounce…_

With a gasp, Lonepaw leapt to her paws and backed away.

"What?" Breezepelt questioned. "What happened?'

"I-I saw him!" She stammered, still shocked at her vision. "I-I touched you, and I saw that tom!"

"_What _tom?" Breezepelt demanded.

With a start, Lonepaw realized she had given herself away. The tom that had kept Jayfeather in that shadowy forest, she had seen him. But she had never told Breezepelt that they had visited such a place.

"I, uh…" she trailed off, unable to hold the black tom's amber gaze any longer and casting her eyes at the ground.

"What didn't you tell me?" He demanded flatly after a moment's pause.

"Jayfeather and I -" She began hurriedly, but was cut off.

"_Jayfeather?" _He exclaimed. "Jayfeather's been unconscious!"

"B-but before that -"

"Great StarClan, Lonepaw," he growled. "What did you _do?"_

"Wait, let me finish!" She cried hopelessly. "Jayfeather told me to come to his den, and he wanted me to sleep with my nose touching his, and so I did. He said you didn't need to know, because you ought to let a medicine cat do his job. I wasn't going to, but I…I was curious, and I didn't want to make him mad, so I -"

"You'd rather make _me _mad?" He interupted, but Lonepaw kept going.

"We woke up in this forest that was all full of shadows, and we went over to this clearing, and we saw cats there. There were two toms, and a little kit, and I realized it was Tigerkit and I couldn't help it, and I gasped. The older cats heard me and started chasing us, and I got away, and J-Jayfeather…"

Breezepelt's eyes were wider than she had ever seen them.

"One of the toms got him," she finished. "And he's still there, in that forest. I saw that tom, when I touched your paw. I saw him."

Breezepelt waited a moment before answering, and the silence was what scared Lonepaw the most.

"Is _that _why you keep referring to the illness as being 'taken'?" He began calmly, voice rising in volume and anger as he went along. "Because you _knew _it wasn't an illness, you _knew _it was something more? You knew it was cats from some shadowy forest coming after us and you didn't _say _anything?"

"I-I…"

"Are there _no _sensible cats in ThunderClan?" He burst furiously. "How could you not say something, Lonepaw, how? Did it ever occur to you that this is something more than an apprentice can handle? These aren't little secrets, Lonepaw, this is serious!"

"I'm sorry -!"

"I needed to know this _days _ago! You've known all this time and you haven't spoken a _word _about it? You pretended to not know what had happened to Jayfeather while your Clanmates dropped like flies all around you?"

"I-I'm sorry, Breeze -!"

"Have you got any other secrets?" He snapped.

"N-no…"

"How can I believe you?" He huffed, tail lashing. "Go back to camp!"

"But I'm sorry -"

"I don't want to hear it!" He turned away, stomping off. "Go back to camp and get out of my face!"

Horrified and ashamed, Lonepaw turned tail and ran.

Leaving Breezepelt fuming in the forest.

Alone.

---

_Great StarClan, you'd think some cat in this mouse-brained Clan would have a _whisker _of sense!_

Breezepelt was still fuming as he stomped off, his new anger at Lonepaw reigniting the previously fading flame of rage at Lionblaze. He had two main reasons for having stayed in ThunderClan - and now he was realizing that both of them were mouse-brained fools. Flexing his claws, which he wanted nothing more than to dig into something, he paused and tried to gathering himself. Perhaps he could find some prey, and chasing after a rabbit would help him blow off steam. However, he had already found one that day - which he had abandoned and Lonepaw had _not _taken with her, he suddenly remembered - and the chances of finding another fit to chase on ThunderClan territory were slim.

Suddenly, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Hoping to see a landing bird or skittering mouse, he turned.

His jaw dropped with horror.

The shadowy figured emerged into full view, it's gaping maw splitting into a macabre grin. It's phantom-like figure was the same dark gray as he remembered, it's eyeless pits a shade or so darker than the rest. He had encountered this before, when the spirit of Tigerstar had ripped itself from Lionblaze's body all those moons ago, and attacked him. But Tigerstar's spirit had been destroyed upon the temporary death of Lionblaze.

So what - or who - was this?

Tense with horror, Breezepelt froze, and the figure leapt. It's claws reached out, unnaturally long, and it's ghostly form touched him. His skin erupted in flame, he was sure his entire body was burning. But more importantly than that, his mind was an inferno, unable to focus on anything but the searing agony. Suddenly it fell away, an icy cold creeping up his spine instead. He began to shiver as the figure passed through him, and as it fully emerged on the other side of his body, he shuddered and fell to the ground, motionless.


	9. Lionblaze's Connection

**Disclaimer; nope, still got nothing.**

* * *

As Lonepaw entered camp, she kept her eyes low and scurried over to the fresh-kill pile, pulling a bird near herself. However, all she could do was listlessly nudge at it with her forepaw, unable to swallow the feeling Breezepelt's fury gave her.

"Hey, Lonepaw."

She glanced over as Lionblaze sat beside her.

"You look a little down," he inquired. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head.

"Where's Breezepelt?"

"He's not back in camp yet," she murmured.

"Oh," Lionblaze replied, something different about his tone. "Well, who's with him?"

"No one," she answered, but as she did so she realized the error of her response. It was the truth, and it made her heart sink.

In the wake of Breezepelt's anger, she had completely forgotten about not leaving him alone.

"But that's not allowed -"

She jumped to her paws and cut Lionblaze off.

"I've got to go!"

"Wait, Lonepaw -!"

She rushed away before Lionblaze could finish, leaving him in her dust. Determined to reach Breezepelt, she hardly noticed him hurry to his paws and dash after her. Within moments, she reached the spot where they had separated.

"He's not here anymore," she panted. "He left, I think he went -"

"Lonepaw, slow down," Lionblaze caught up, placing his tail tip on her flank. "I can track him, give me a moment."

"Okay," she meowed, kneading the ground with her paws anxiously as he worked to find Breezepelt's scent. "Hurry."

After a few moments, the tom looked up and started off.

"This way!" He called back, Lonepaw hurrying to catch up. They only had to run for a short time longer before they came upon what they had been searching for.

Breezepelt.

Sprawled out on the ground, amber eyes still half-open, lacking their natural glow. They were dull and dead, as if the very life had been stolen from them.

Lonepaw knew that it had.

"Breezepelt?" Lionblaze inquired carefully, though she knew he would receive no answer, and he probably knew it too. He took a few hesitant steps closer, and Lonepaw sunk to the ground, letting out a remorseful and guilty wail. As soon as it slipped, she cut off the sound, almost able to hear Breezepelt's scolding. _Stop wailing. You're not a kit anymore. _

As Lionblaze stared, wide-eyed and motionless at his mate's body, Lonepaw was struck with an idea. She had touched Breezepelt's paw before he had been taken and had seen that tom. What if she touched him now, when he was already gone? Would she see anything?

Gathering her courage, she approached the still body. She couldn't pretend she wasn't scared, and was even hoping that she _wouldn't _see anything. But she had to try, didn't she? Swallowing hard, she pushed her nose into Breezepelt's fur.

_A black tom stood in a clearing, scanning the area suspiciously. The half-light cast his fur in shadows, making his amber eyes glow ever more brightly. _

"_Breezepelt!" _

_The tom jerked his head towards the voice. A gray tom was poised across the clearing, milky eyes staring directly at the other. _

"_Breezepelt, run!"_

_Suddenly, the black tom was sent sprawling._

Lonepaw jerked back, but not as suddenly as she had with the first vision. Panting, she turned her eyes on Lionblaze, who was still fixated on Breezepelt's body.

"He's not there anymore," she meowed nervously, referring to his body. "He's in danger."

Lionblaze didn't answer.

"So is Jayfeather," she added.

He stayed silent.

"They're not here anymore," she went on. "They're in this shadowy forest, that's where they're all being taken -"

Lionblaze's head snapped up.

"What did you say?" He demanded suddenly.

"They're being taken to a different forest," she replied hesitantly, hoping for a better reaction than Breezepelt had given her. "I-I was there once. With Jayfeather. He said we were in a dream, but it was a whole new forest, and cats are actually there all the time."

Lionblaze's jaws parted slightly.

"You've been there?" He asked. "What did it look like?"

"It was just all dark," she went on, "it was just like any other forest…"

"Who was there?" He insisted, stepping closer. "Who did you see?"

She backed up a step. "These two toms, and -"

"What did they look like?"

"One had black fur, and green eyes," she hurried, "I didn't see the other one very good, but he looked liked a tabby…"

"What color were his eyes?" Lionblaze demanded. "You must have seen them."

"Blue," she rushed, "like an ice-blue."

Lionblaze was silent, a look of fear creeping over his expression. Then, he turned and began to bolt back towards camp.

"Wait!" She cried, halting him. "There was a kit, too! Tigerkit was there!"

He paused for a second.

"There's no time to waste," he meowed, moving back again and grabbing Breezepelt's body by the scruff. As a whistling wind rustled the leaves on the trees, Lonepaw looked around nervously. She had never felt less safe in her own territory in her life. "We need to get back to camp, _now."_

Lonepaw wholeheartedly agreed.

---

The Clan greeted them with surprised looks and whispers.

"What happened here?" Firestar approached them, though he didn't wait for his own question to be answered. "Who saw it?"

"No one, Firestar," Lionblaze answered.

"What?" He narrowed his eyes. "I thought I said no leaving camp alone."

Lonepaw opened her mouth to explain, but Lionblaze beat her to it.

"I can't tell you why he didn't listen," he covered. "He's always been stubborn."

Firestar sighed heavily. "Move him to the medicine den. Afterwards, I want to speak to you in my den."

As Lionblaze nodded and padded away, Lonepaw hurried after.

"Are you going to tell him?" She whispered. Lionblaze paused a moment before answering.

"I want to," he mumbled through fur. "I really do."

"But are you going to?"

"Breezepelt hated the idea," he went on quietly. "But what else are we supposed to do?"

"We'll figure something out…" she tried to be reassuring.

"Right," he snorted. "How many cats will be left in ThunderClan by then?"

---

"Cats of ThunderClan!"

As the Clan gathered around, Lonepaw took a seat beside Toadpaw and Rosepaw.

"This a proud day for ThunderClan," Firestar went on as everyone assembled. "By naming these two kits as apprentices, we show that this mysterious illness cannot stop us."

_It's not an illness, _Lonepaw's ears flattened. _Those cats are perfectly healthy - they're just stuck somewhere that they don't want to be._

"Wingkit," he began, "from now on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Wingpaw. Mousewhisker, you are ready for an apprentice, you will be Wingpaw's mentor. I know you will pass on your courage and strength to Wingpaw, and make her a brave warrior of ThunderClan."

The two cats touched noses as the Clan chanted 'Wingpaw!'

"Owlkit," he went on, "from now on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Owlpaw. Lionblaze, you are ready for an apprentice, you will be Owlpaw's mentor."

Lonepaw perked up at the name. Lionblaze was going to mentor Owlpaw?

"I know you will pass on your skill and bravery to Owlpaw, and make him an adept warrior of ThunderClan."

The Clan cheered, Lonepaw joining in loudly, mostly for Lionblaze's sake. She was happy that he had gotten an apprentice, she really was.

But watching him be congratulated by his Clanmates, while Breezepelt lie motionless in the medicine den, seemed to suck the joy out of the air around her.


	10. Close Call

**Disclaimer; Do. Not. Own.**

* * *

"Sh!"

"I'm sorry, I'm trying!"

"Sh, Lonepaw! You're so loud!"

Lonepaw brought her giggling down to a controlled level, Toadpaw shaking his head at her incessant laughter.

"We're supposed to be asleep," he reminded her. "You're going to wake up a warrior and get us caught."

"We're apprentices," she told him, "we're allowed to hang around our own camp without supervision, aren't we?"

A sudden whisper froze them both, proving that Lonepaw was just as nervous about being caught as Toadpaw.

"To the bushes," Toadpaw whispered, flicking his tail as they dove into the cover nearby. Two cats emerged from the nearby warriors den - Lionblaze and Hollyleaf.

"He'll be fine," Hollyleaf was meowing. "Breezepelt's tough."

"Does that really matter?" Lionblaze responded hopelessly. "Toughness isn't going to save anyone. StarClan knows how Sandstorm managed to wake up."

"I know you know Breezepelt well, Lionblaze," Hollyleaf said firmly, "but don't forget that so do I. We survived Scourge's reign - a little sleeping sickness isn't going to keep him down for long."

"I don't know," Lionblaze sighed, eyes clouded with sorrow.

"Hey," Toadpaw murmured beside her. "I'm sorry about Breezepelt."

Lonepaw shrugged, despite how the conversation nearby was affecting her.

"Thanks. He'll…he'll be fine, though."

She tried her best to believe her own words.

"He's kind of like your kin, right?" Toadpaw asked. "I mean, I remember when Daisy looked after you too as a kit, but Breezepelt always looked after you more."

"Yeah," Lonepaw answered quietly. "I guess so. He and Lionblaze."

When he didn't answer, she chuckled quietly, shaking her head.

"You probably think that's weird," she went on. "They're both toms, after all."

"No, no," he hurried to answer, a sincere look in his eyes. "I mean, it'd probably be pretty cool to have _two_ fathers." He shrugged, "I don't even have one."

---

"Guess what?"

Lonepaw opened her eyes and glanced over at where Toadpaw was lying beside her.

"What?"

"Hollyleaf said it'll be time for my assessment soon," he confided, eyes bright. "I'm almost a warrior!"

"I wonder what your name will be?" She questioned, and was suddenly struck with another thought. "Hey, if it's almost time for you and Rosepaw to become warriors, that means I'll be one soon too!"

"Good," he laughed. "The warriors den won't be much fun until you catch up."

"You know what else?" She went on. "Millie's going to have her kits soon."

"Oh yeah," he meowed. "Though, Graystripe's still not…"

"I know," she answered, the conversation taking a serious turn. "But Cloudtail didn't see Owlpaw and Wingpaw become apprentices either."

Toadpaw shrugged. "At least everyone knows they both would be proud."

Lonepaw paused, her mind turning with troubling thoughts of Spiderleg, and how lately it had been more apparent to her than ever that he paid no mind to his kits. She had never noticed it before, but it seemed that the more she and Toadpaw talked, the more she wondered how she had never seen their awkward relationship, or lack thereof, before.

"You're talking about the kits?" Rosepaw suddenly appeared, her dark cream face appearing over the relaxing pair. "I'm so excited for them to arrive!"

"Why?" Toadpaw narrowed his eyes. "They're cute and all, but they don't _do _anything until they're older."

Rosepaw wrinkled her nose at her brother.

"I would _love _to have kits," she huffed. "Wouldn't you, Lonepaw?"

Lonepaw made a face of displeasure. "I'd much rather be a warrior. Besides, who would I have kits _with?"_

Toadpaw quickly turned his gaze towards the treetops.

"Does it really matter?" Rosepaw asked. Lonepaw waited for her to laugh, or give some sort of sign that she was joking, but she remained casually serious.

"I think it matters," Toadpaw piped up. Rosepaw rolled her eyes.

"You don't really _need_ a mate to have kits, do you?" She pointed out.

"No, you don't _need _one," Lonepaw agreed hesitantly. "But why would you want to have kits with a cat you don't even like?"

"It's not like you'd have to be friendly with them or anything," Rosepaw shrugged. "But if you want kits, you have to pick _somebody."_

Lonepaw and Toadpaw exchanged a quick glance of scrutiny before Rosepaw padded away.

---

Lionblaze and Cinderheart padded ahead as Lonepaw and Owlpaw lingered behind.

"Is it hard?" The little white tom whispered. Lonepaw tried not to laugh - he already seemed nervous enough.

"At first," she answered honestly. "But trust me, every cat gets the hang of training eventually. Lionblaze is a good teacher, too."

"Alright," Lionblaze turned. "Owlpaw, you come with me."

"Lonepaw, I'm going with Lionblaze and Owlpaw for a moment," Cinderheart meowed. "Go catch whatever you can - you have to prepare for your assessment!"

Lonepaw beamed. "Okay!"

Turning and hurrying off, Cinderheart yelled after her.

"And no slacking!" She purred. "You never know when I might come back!"

Lonepaw wasted no time looking for prey. When she spotted a squirrel rummaging near a tree, a thought occurred to her.

_Nobody's watching me, _she mused. _Breezepelt's caught prey loads of times by chasing it. If I mess up, nobody will see me anyway…_

With that, she darted towards the squirrel. It turned tail and scurried up the tree, her climbing right after it. It dashed across a high branch to the tip, it's bushy tail streaming out behind it. Lonepaw ran out after it, but when the branch suddenly swayed, she halted. The creature sat, almost as if it were taunting her - but most likely it was just looking for a means of escape.

"Lonepaw?" A voice called, and she looked down to see a surprised looking Sandstorm watching her. "What are you doing up there?"

Ears burning with sudden embarrassment, she took a few steps forward, ignoring the slowly bending branch. When she realized that her plan was not going to work, she began to slowly back away.

"Wait!" Sandstorm cried from the ground. "You almost had it, just a bit forward!"

"But the branch is going to break!" She insisted.

"No," the ginger warrior shook her head. "I can see from here! Move forward!"

Nervous, but trusting of the senior warrior, she moved forward. The branch bent further, but she ignored it and took three more tentative steps before she heard the splitting of bark. She let out a surprised and fearful yowl before desperately lashing at the air, falling for a moment more before managing to snag a lower hanging branch with her forepaws. Claws digging into the bark, she hauled herself onto the surface and clung there for a moment, panting and fur standing on end.

"Lonepaw!" Sandstorm called out worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"You said I could move forward!" She cried back. "You said so!"

She looked down into Sandstorm's genuinely confused expression, calming down a bit and moving closer to the trunk, beginning her journey down.

"No, Lonepaw," Sandstorm began slowly. "I told you to move _backward."_

"No, you didn't," Lonepaw insisted, reaching the ground. "I heard you."

"Are you feeling alright?" Sandstorm said, green eyes blinking. "I…I can come with you back to camp and get you a mouse, or something -"

"No, I'm okay," she went on. "I _know _you said that!"

Sandstorm was silent.

_I know what I heard! _She thought to herself. Then another thought plagued her. _But how reliable is what_ I_ hear__? I'm hearing _voices,_ too…_

"Come on," Sandstorm beckoned her. "We'll go back to camp."

"Cinderheart told me to catch something first," she insisted.

"I'll grab something for you," she offered. "Don't worry. I won't tell Cinderheart."

"Okay," she hesitantly agreed. If anyone knew about her blunder, she might not get to have her ceremony as soon as planned.

Still bewildered, Lonepaw followed Sandstorm back to camp.


	11. Here and There

**Disclaimer; I do not own. But I DO own Fading Echoes! I got it today =D I'm about halfway through, so by the next update [tommorow?] I'll be able to discuss it with you guys. Happy Easter, everyone! **

By the way, you should like this chapter =) It reveals a pretty big secret. Please review, I want to know what you think! And let me know if any of you saw this coming!

* * *

"Cats of ThunderClan!"

Lonepaw hurried over, glancing at Toadpaw from across camp as she did. The glow in his eyes gave her an idea of what this ceremony would be about, and she took a seat.

"I call my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices, Toadpaw and Rosepaw."

The dark cream she-cat and her black and white brother hurried forward, beaming.

"They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Rosepaw," he started with, "do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," she stated boldly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Rosepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Rosepetal. StarClan honors your independence and sensibility, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

The Clan went up in cries of 'Rosepetal!'

"Toadpaw," he turned to her brother. "do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Toadpaw nodded.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Toadpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Toadstep. StarClan honors your patience and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Lonepaw joined louder than ever in the Clan's cheers. Lonepaw weaved through the crowd, coming upon Rosepetal first.

"Congratulations!" She purred. Just then she spotted Toadstep, but before she could make her way over, she realized who the tom was talking to.

"Congratulations," Spiderleg meowed, eyes roaming everywhere but to his son. "You've, um…done really well."

"Thanks," Toadstep replied, but he didn't move away. He lingered, as if waiting for more.

"I…" Spiderleg seemed to sense this as well, but didn't seem to realize what his kit was waiting for. "I…should probably go congratulate Rosepetal."

"Yeah," Toadstep agreed, disappointment clearly evident in his voice. "You probably should."

As the older tom hurried away, Lonepaw sighed, her ears falling flat slightly.

_He wanted you to say you were proud of him, _she thought, as if she could send the words to Spiderleg through her mind. _Didn't you see that?_

---

"Hey, Lonepaw."

The tortishell she-cat blinked when a mouse was pushed her way.

"Oh," she meowed, looking up at Toadstep. "Thanks! How'd you know I was hungry?"

The black and white tom shrugged, chuckling. "Just a guess."

"Want to share it with me?" She offered, motioning for Toadstep to sit beside her.

"Sure," he agreed, brightening and taking a seat beside her. Lonepaw took a few bites as he did, swallowing and licking her jaws.

"So are you going to the Gathering tonight?" Toadstep inquired.

"No," Lonepaw admitted. "Or at least, I don't think so."

"Oh," he sounded a bit disheartened.

"You and Rosepetal are, right?" She asked. "So Firestar can introduce you as new warriors?"

"Yep," he nodded. "I wish you were going."

Lonepaw laughed.

"You'll be fine without me," she insisted.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I'd just rather have you there."

Lonepaw's stomach tightened as Toadstep glanced over at her, their green eyes unsteadily meeting. He moved forward a bit, and when she realized that their whiskers were touching, it felt like those few bites of mouse were suddenly in her throat.

No, really. She could feel the digesting prey, coming back up her throat.

"I-I, um…I'll be right back!" She stammered, hurrying to her paws and dashing away. Once she was out of earshot and sight of camp, her meal splattered into the leaf-litter.

_Great StarClan, _she grimaced. _What is _wrong _with me?_

"Lonepaw?"

She heard a distant voice and realized Toadstep was searching for her.

_Oh no! _She mentally panicked, tossing dirt and leaves over the mess and scampering away. _Go away, go away!_

Hurrying until she could no longer hear him, she paused for a moment.

_Okay, _she planned, _I'll go get a drink from the lake, go back to camp and apologize to Toadstep, and then see Leafpool. _

Even better, Toadstep would be gone at the Gathering all night. Not that she wanted to get away from him, but after that…

Her ears flattened and the tips burned red with embarrassment.

_What awful timing!_

_---_

"You know, Toadstep was complaining of a bellyache, too."

"He was?" She meowed with surprise. She had done just as she had planned to. Gone and gotten a drink, rested for a little while - which had mainly consisted of her gathering the courage to face Toadstep again - and returned to apologize. Then she had stopped in at Leafpool's den, just before the medicine cat was about to leave with the rest of the Clan for the Gathering.

"Sandstorm told me about how you weren't feeling good," she admitted.

"Wait, she did?" Lonepaw blinked a few times. "But…"

"She was dropping hints that Toadstep should give you that mouse, you know," she laughed softly. "But I wouldn't tell Toadstep that, if I were you. I don't think anyone else noticed that he had a little help - StarClan knows most toms need it."

Lonepaw suddenly wanted nothing more than to escape the confines of the den.

"Here, take these," Leafpool pushed a few herbs towards her, which Lonepaw licked up and began to chew. "That should help. Tell me how you're feeling once I get back, okay?"

She nodded, grimacing at the taste of the herbs. Leafpool chuckled before exiting the den, leaving Lonepaw, fortunately, to herself.

_Though it's kind of…creepy in here, _she admitted to herself. Being alone with all the unconscious cats was unnerving. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. Approaching Breezepelt, she crouched down and touched her nose to his fur.

Nothing.

Disappointed, she got up and stared at the remaining bodies. A tiny buzzing sounded in the back of her mind as she passed her eyes over a few, and she froze. She had never been happy to hear that sound before, but now it was just what she wanted to hear. Approaching each body carefully, she realized that Graystripe's increased the humming's volume. Bracing herself, she bent down and touched his fur.

"_Sandstorm! Sandstorm, over here!'_

_A delighted looking Graystripe was shouting, dashing over obstacles towards his destination. A few dozen fox-lengths away, a ginger she-cat looked utterly shocked and relieved before racing towards the gray tom. _

Lonepaw opened her eyes, but this time she did not leap away. Instead, she merely straightened up.

How did that make any sense?

She had seen Graystripe, as she had expected to…racing towards Sandstorm.

How could she have seen Sandstorm, when Sandstorm was the only cat to have _awakened _from her slumber? The only cat to have _escaped _the shadowy forest, though she could not remember any of how?

"Lonepaw?"

She jolted, turning towards the entrance. The ginger she-cat herself was standing there, looking concerned.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. "Better?"

"Oh, yeah," she nodded fervently. "I was just finishing off the herbs Leafpool gave me."

"Oh, good," she answered, turning and leaving. As soon as she could no longer see the she-cat, Lonepaw let herself begin to panic.

_I just saw Sandstorm in the forest, and now she was just in the den. She can't be here, _and _there, at once. _

Which could only mean one thing.

Sandstorm, who she had gone on patrol with, where she had 'tripped' and nearly been struck by a monster - Sandstorm, who had insisted she had been helping when Lonepaw had nearly plummeted out of a tree - Sandstorm, who had pressured Toadstep into giving her a mouse, which she had proceeded to completely throw up moments later - was _not _Sandstorm.

_Sandstorm_ was trapped in the dark forest, and this was an imposter.


	12. Loneheart

**Disclaimer; I don't own Warriors!**

I just finished Fading Echoes yesterday! **Spoiler alert;** I'm really liking where Dovepaw and Tigerheart's friendship seems to be going. Ivypaw's personality is really sucking me in, and the fact that we got to see Tigerstar interaction again delighted me. If he's not gonna accept his death, I want to see more of him. I was praying for some Tigerstar and Darkstripe interaction, but it was enough to see that Darkstripe is back in the same group as him. I'm still holding onto Hollyleaf being alive, but the more Ivypaw leans towards the Dark Forest the more I think she might be gone for good. Oh! And Lionblaze and Cinderheart playing games like apprentices was adorable. I _love _them as a pairing. What'd you think of the book, readers?

* * *

Lonepaw really didn't want to have to explain her theory to Lionblaze. At the same time, she had really learned a few lessons about keeping secrets lately.

She spotted Lionblaze leaving camp with Cinderheart, and hurried after them. However, when she realized they were discussing Breezepelt, she hung back, hoping to remain unnoticed as the followed pair entered the forest.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Cinderheart was asking, her blue eyes concerned.

"No," Lionblaze answered honestly. "But I'm trying to get there."

"Sandstorm woke up, didn't she?" Cinderheart offered. "There's no reason Breezepelt couldn't do the same."

_But she didn't, _Lonepaw thought to herself. _And I need to tell Lionblaze that, so…_

"That's if he wants to," Lionblaze snorted.

"What do you mean?" The gray she-cat replied. Lonepaw noted that not much hunting was getting done. Neither cat had even made a move to sniff out any prey.

"We…sort of had a fight," he explained, "before he…fell ill."

"He was angry at you?"

"Very," Lionblaze answered, a hint of sad humor in his tone. "He's always been like that, though. Stubborn."

"I wouldn't worry," she meowed, resting her tail over his reassuringly. "Once he's back, if he loves you, he won't be mad at you for long."

"He does," Lionblaze answered, eyes fallen to the ground.

"And you love him too?" Cinderheart asked, and the strange note in her voice made Lonepaw's eyes narrow, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

"Yeah," Lionblaze answered confidently. "I just wish he was here, that's all."

Cinderheart drew her tail away, and Lonepaw let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Come on," Cinderheart got to her paws. "It's about time we got some hunting done!"

Lionblaze brightened immidiately.

"I bet I can catch more than you," he challenged. Cinderheart snorted.

"In your dreams," she retorted, laughing and racing off. Lionblaze got to his paws and darted after her, both of them disappearing into the forest like giggling apprentices.

Lonepaw let them go. She didn't feel so much like following them anymore.

---

"What was it like?"

Toadstep shrugged, while Rosepetal spoke up.

"Oh, it was fun," she assured her. "I thought it was pretty exciting."

Toadstep gave his sister a sideways glance. "I didn't even _see_ you. Where'd you go?"

"A Gathering's for mingling, isn't it?" Rosepetal pointed out. "That's what I did."

"So the other Clans were pretty welcoming?" Lonepaw asked.

"Yeah," Toadstep answered. "I don't think there's been many cases of new warriors not being received well, has there?"

Rosepetal shrugged. "You'd have to ask Mousefur about that. I'm sure if it's happened, _she's _lived through it."

The three of them laughed, but Lonepaw's tapered off quickly as Lionblaze and Cinderheart entered camp, both with prey dangling from their jaws. Lonepaw eyed them carefully as they added their catches to the pile before taking two mice of their own, sitting side by side before biting into them. When Cinderheart giggled so loudly at something that Lionblaze said that it could be heard across camp, Lonepaw suddenly didn't feel like sharing her vision with Lionblaze anymore.

"Hey, Toadstep," she meowed, an idea slowly coming to her. "Can you follow me for a moment?"

"Sure," he shrugged, and mewed a quick excuse to Rosepetal before padding after her as she started off towards the medicine den. Slipping inside, glad to see Leafpool gone, she settled next to Breezepelt's motionless form.

"What are you doing?" He asked skeptically.

"Come here," she beckoned, and he came closer. "Touch your nose, right here."

She nudged the black tom's flank. Toadstep looked hesitant and suspicious, but slowly did so, Lonepaw leaning in with him, their noses connecting with the body at the same moment.

Nothing.

"What's…supposed to happen?" Toadstep inquired. Lonepaw got to her paws and huffed with confusion and frustration.

_That's not fair, _she thought irritably. _Jayfeather shared a dream with me. Why can't _I _share a vision with Toadstep?_

"Never mind," she sighed, turning and exiting the den without any further explanation.

---

Lonepaw stared up at the stars.

She had adopted Breezepelt's technique of lying under the stars when she couldn't sleep recently - and recently, she had done a _lot _of not being able to sleep.

_How can I find out what's really going on with Sandstorm? _She sighed. _I know Sandstorm is __really_ _trapped in the other forest. But that means some other cat is walking around in her body…but who is it? And why would they need to? And _how?

There were so many questions, and not even a hint of how to discover any answers.

Then, something came to her. Sandstorm had started popping up everywhere after Lonepaw had talked to her, the first day she had awoken. The first thing she had done was ask about voices.

Lonepaw's eyes widened.

If Sandstorm was an imposter, then that imposter was probably from the other forest. In which case, they wouldn't _want _anyone knowing about them…right?

She had effectively given herself, and her power, away within the first few moments of Sandstorm's return.

Mind moving even quicker, she fast-forwarded to the patrol she, Sandstorm and Cinderheart had gone on. She had _sworn _she hadn't tripped. What if she had been right?

What if Sandstorm had pushed her?

What if Lonepaw had been tricked into moving forward along that branch, because Sandstorm had known that it would snap under her weight, had _wanted _it to?

Or that mouse. What if it had been meant to make her ill, as it had? If she had eaten the entire thing herself, instead of splitting it with Toadstep…

What would have happened?

She scowled, rolling over and sighing.

_I need help, _she admitted wearily. _I can't do this by myself._

But there was no one to tell. She had tried to let Toadstep in on her secrets, but her plan had failed. Lionblaze knew everything but her latest development about Sandstorm, but it seemed like whenever she saw him he had Cinderheart attached to his flank. Breezepelt…

_I'd be able to tell Breezepelt, _she mused. _Why can't he wake up too?_

Flattening her ears and thinking of Sandstorm, she realized that it was probably better if he did not.

---

"Lonepaw!"

When the tortishell turned, she found herself staring into Sandstorm's eyes.

"A mouse before your ceremony?" The she-cat whispered.

"My ceremony?" She blurted, and was quickly hushed. "Sorry. I, um…no thanks, actually."

She had just passed her assessment that morning. She was delighted to hear that her ceremony was taking place soon, but she could not forget her suspicions of the ginger she-cat. Even looking at the mouse brought up thoughts of her last, which had taken only moment to end up in the leaf-litter.

"Cats of ThunderClan!"

Lonepaw and Sandstorm's heads both turned, Lonepaw taking the opportunity to dismiss herself and head to the front of the gathering group.

"I call my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice, Lonepaw," she blinked nervously as she stepped forward, Firestar leveling his gaze with hers. "She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Lonepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," she meowed clearly.

"Then from this day on you shall be known as Loneheart. For though you came to ThunderClan as a single, lonely kit -"

_Into a Clan that needed Clanborn kits, not a loner's blood -_

Her eyes widened with shock.

" - you proved yourself to be an eager apprentice -"

_- hearing voices, seeing visions__ -_

" _- _and are ready to become a full warrior. You shall be Loneheart, for though you came to us alone, you have proved yourself to be full of heart."

_Your name shall be Loneheart, for you will always be different, never to be accepted or understood - destined to be alone._

As the Clan chanted 'Loneheart!' and nodded in approval of Firestar's proud speech, Loneheart resisted the urge to flatten her ears and let her jaw gape. Even as the Clan gave their congratulations around her, nothing could drown out the voice's cackling laughter ringing in her ears.

* * *

Please review!


	13. Quick Death and New Life

Have you ever had a friend who's dad wasn't really in the picture? And later in life she seemed to hook up with all the wrong guys and never really understand what a relationship should look like? I have, and you meet the Warriors equivalent of that friend this chapter. Let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer; I don't own Warriors!**

* * *

Night had fallen over camp.

The leaves, tinged with the browns and tans of coming leaf-fall, still clung to the branches with life. The grass swayed under a slight breeze. Silverpelt shone above.

Loneheart stretched, trying to stay alert on her vigil. But the silence and peace of the night allowed her thoughts to wander - there was only so long she could focus on the faint movements around the sleeping camp.

The voice from earlier brought a chill down her spine. It had whispered in her ear, echoing a macabre version of her warrior ceremony into her mind. Then it had snickered and laughed triumphantly until she thought she was surely going mad, before vanishing as if it had never been there to begin with.

She was beginning to worry that she was losing her mind.

_I'm not fit to be a warrior, _she mused. _I can't even sort my own thoughts. _

She was beginning to doubt herself in everything. Were her visions real, or just illusions? Did these voices mean anything, or was she just mouse-brained, or crazy? Could she even suspect Sandstorm as she did, when she wasn't sure she was even sane?

"Good thing you're a warrior now."

Loneheart nearly jumped, spinning around to see who was speaking. She found herself facing that she-cat herself, a smug expression decorating her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but the ginger warrior raised her tail.

"Silent vigil, remember?" Sandstorm chuckled. "It's good that you're a warrior now. With all the time she's been spending with Lionblaze, Cinderheart might have forgotten to train you."

Loneheart's tail lashed involuntarily.

"They've been getting especially close, haven't they?" She purred. "Ah well. They may not be the newest warriors of ThunderClan, but they're not senior warriors either. Young love takes time, I suppose."

Loneheart's hackles raised, and she bit her tongue as she thought fleetingly of Breezepelt.

"Don't be too upset," Sandstorm seemed genuinely sorry for a moment. "It's only natural. I mean, you didn't think Lionblaze and Breezepelt were going to last, did you? It was only a matter of time before one of them found the right she-cat."

She shook her head, holding an angry stare and resisting the urge to flex her claws. Sandstorm got up and turned away.

"I suppose it's a good thing Breezepelt's not awake," she shrugged, sighing. "After what I stumbled upon Lionblaze and Cinderheart doing on their _'patrol'_…"

"Shut up!"

The words burst forth like a torrent.

"You don't know anything!" She snapped. "Lionblaze would never betray Breezepelt, _ever!_ You think Lionblaze has secrets? He's not the only one! _You're not Sandstorm!"_

The ginger she-cat didn't move for a moment. Then, she looked over her shoulder, eyes dancing victoriously.

"Clever," she sneered, voice a whisper. "But who am I?"

"Loneheart!"

Several warriors were streaming out of the den, eyes on her. Loneheart's eyes darted to them, and then back to Sandstorm, who now wore an expression of innocent worry.

"What's all the shouting?" Sandstorm questioned, as if she were clueless.

"Yes, what is it?" Brambleclaw emerged, looking cross. "Are we being attacked?"

"N-no," Loneheart stammered, ears flattening. "I…I thought I saw something, I'm sorry."

Spiderleg snorted. "Impressive behavior from our newest warrior."

"Your vigil is supposed to be silent," Lionblaze, the third warrior to wake, snapped at her. "Or did you forget?"

_And your _mate _is Breezepelt, _she held her tongue, _or did you forget?_

"I'm sorry," she apologized again. "Go back to sleep, everyone. I'll -"

A choking, sputtering noise caught her attention, and the five of them all turned their heads to face Firestar's den.

"Firestar?" Sandstorm meowed, getting to her paws and rushing over. Brambleclaw and Spiderleg hurried after, Lionblaze pausing near her for a second.

"What were you thinking?" He whispered harshly. "Do you think Breezepelt would be proud of you tonight?"

"Oh, so you remember him?" She shot back. "I thought you'd replaced him already."

Lionblaze's expression of stern anger fell away, revealing something else. He looked like a guilty kit caught sneaking out of camp. Loneheart didn't wait for him, and scampered over to see what was going on in Firestar's den. Her eyes widened as she peeked inside.

Firestar was splayed out on the ground, muscles convulsing, mouth wide and froth flecking his muzzle. From his throat came gurgling and sputtering, his eyes wide and pointed ahead.

"What's wrong with him?" Sandstorm meowed. "Somebody get Leafpool!"

Spiderleg darted back into the clearing.

"I'll alert the Clan," Brambleclaw said, sounding like a deputy for the first time Loneheart could remember and turning to hurry away. "Keep an eye on him!"

Firestar suddenly went limp, eyes glassy and lifeless. Loneheart momentarily forgot who she was with, and meowed quietly.

"Is he losing a life?"

Sandstorm turned to glance at her, whiskers twitching once with amusement, and spoke words that made her stomach turn.

"You should have taken that mouse, Loneheart."

---

Loneheart trudged through the next day like a fog.

She was groggy from the complete lack of sleep due to her vigil, and the whole Clan seemed to be moving a few paces slower with the knowledge that Firestar had lost a life. Leafpool had chalked it up to a piece of bad prey, and even though no cat had _said _anything, all eyes were on Owlpaw and Wingpaw. Loneheart felt bad for the pair - just because they were the most inexperienced cats in the Clan didn't mean a piece of bad prey was automatically their fault.

Besides, she knew that it wasn't bad prey. Or at least, _hadn't _been, before Sandstorm had gotten her paws on it.

Sandstorm had practically admitted to poisoning the ThunderClan leader the night before, and had openly confirmed Loneheart's fears that she was not who she appeared to be. But the question was still the same - if not Sandstorm, then who was she?

"Loneheart?"

She turned around absent-mindedly and was surprised to see Rosepetal waiting for her attention.

"Oh, hi," she greeted, blinking a few times to rouse herself from her daydreaming. "What is it?"

"Can I…talk to you, for a moment?" The dark cream she-cat inquired, and Loneheart nodded. When Rosepetal led them just outside of camp, she began to wonder what this talk could be about.

"I don't want to really tell anyone yet," she began quietly, "I'm not sure I'm right. But I…I think I'm expecting kits."

Loneheart's eyes were suddenly alert, her ears pricked and all thoughts of dozing off gone.

"What?" She replied instinctively. Rosepetal was young! A warrior, yes, but young. She was only slightly older than Loneheart herself, and she and her brother had only just become warriors. Wasn't it a bit early to be planning for kits?

Then again, Loneheart recalled their conversation as apprentices. Rosepetal had always seemed eager to become a mother…

"I think so," she nodded. "But I'm a bit nervous to ask Leafpool about it."

"You probably should," she assured her, trying to keep her opinions to herself. Rosepetal needed encouragement, not scolding. She was a warrior, and her decisions were her own, no matter what her friends thought of them. Then, something else occurred to her. "Wait...who's your mate, then?"

"I don't have one," she answered simply.

"Then…who fathered them?" Loneheart inquired differently.

Rosepetal was silent for a long moment, before breaking out into a series of quiet giggles.

"Who?" Loneheart asked again, pressing the matter further. "You know I won't tease you, there's no reason to laugh!"

"Oh, I know you won't," Rosepetal sighed, giggles tapering off. "It's just…I don't really know."

"You don't really know what?" She asked, and then her ears tipped back. "Wait, you don't really know who the father is?"

Rosepetal shook her head, whiskers twitching with amusement. Loneheart's jaws parted.

"How is that funny?"

"Well, it's one of three toms," she confessed, and Loneheart appalled expression grew. "What? Don't look at me like that! What does it matter, anyway?"

Instead of answering, a thought occurred to Loneheart. She paused for a moment, surveying mentally the available toms in ThunderClan.

_Brambleclaw used to have a mate, _she thought quickly, _or else Lionblaze, Hollyleaf and Jayfeather wouldn't be here. Squirrelflight or something. But that doesn't seem likely. Mousewhisker doesn't have a mate, but other than him, ThunderClan's been short on toms..._

"Rosepetal," she spoke up, "who _are_ the three toms?"

The dark cream she-cat didn't answer.

"They're not…" Loneheart trailed off. "They're not ThunderClan cats, are they?"

Rosepetal's whiskers twitched, and Loneheart let her jaw drop.

"_Three_?" She gaped. "Rosepetal, the warrior code!"

"What does it matter?" She exclaimed, the same excuse she often used. "No one has to know, Loneheart! You won't tell, will you?"

"That's not the point!" She meowed exasperatedly. The last thing she wanted were _more _secrets on her chest! "Who are they? You might as well tell me!"

"Sh!" Rosepetal urged, waving her tail in front of their faces. "Alright, alright! I will. Antpelt -"

"The WindClan warrior?" She couldn't help but interrupt, even though she had known they would be from enemy Clans. "Oh, Rosepetal…"

" - Mallownose," she continued as if Loneheart had not spoken, "from RiverClan, yes. Or…a third cat."

"Who is…?" Loneheart beckoned. It couldn't possibly be worse than the previous options. Perhaps it was a ShadowClan tom.

_What a goal, to have gotten a tom from every Clan but your own! _She thought sarcastically, and then scolded herself. Rosepetal was her friend, and she couldn't help but feel bad for thinking of her in such a way.

"Not…exactly a warrior," she explained vaguely.

"Great StarClan, just tell me," she pleaded, her mind coming up with it's own conclusions.

"He's a kittypet," she went on hurriedly. "His name's Teddy. He's actually quite a nice cat, surprisingly."

"A _kittypet?" _Loneheart managed. "Rosepetal, what were you _thinking_?"

"So what?" She snapped, for once looking offended rather than carefree. "_You're _not Clanborn and I've never thought of _you _any less for it!'

That silenced her.

"Wait," something occurred to her, and she couldn't help but ask. "Toadstep was complaining that he hardly saw you at the Gathering, but you were there. Is that because…?"

"Because I was with Antpelt?" She finished. "And Mallownose? Yes, that's why."

"But why?" She finally asked. Rosepetal shrugged.

"I want kits, I've always told you that," she explained. "I don't know why it surprises you."

With that, Rosepetal got up and padded away, as if that settled the matter. Loneheart found herself staring after the soon-to-be queen in disbelief, wondering how a she-cat could get so desperate for kits that she didn't care how or when, or who fathered them.

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Please review! I'm curious to hear what everyone thinks about Rosepetal's decisions and her character in general.


	14. Unknown Causes

This chapter does a fair bit of skipping around, but it's necessary to see things from the Dark Forest and the Clans at once as they happen.

**Disclaimer; I don't own anything.**

* * *

Cats were gathering outside the nursery, swarming like flies.

Normally, Loneheart would have been at the front of the line to see Millie and Graystripe's newest arrivals. Yet, with the knowledge of Rosepetal's pregnancy heavy on her mind, she hardly wanted to see any kits for awhile.

Loneheart sighed heavily and drew her tail over her nose, closing her eyes. As if she hadn't had enough to worry about. Lionblaze and Cinderheart were closer than ever. She still had no one to share her Sandstorm secret with. She had to keep an eye on the ginger warrior at all times, worried she might strike again like the night of her vigil. Breezepelt was still unconscious, as were the other victims, including Graystripe. And now, Rosepetal's reckless behavior was just another worry to add to the pile.

_I'm going to have a gray muzzle before I'm even anywhere close to being an elder._

"Hey," she felt someone settle beside her, and cracked one eye open to find Toadstep there. "You look beat. Something wrong?"

_Yes. One of the cats who was _supposed _to be like a parent to me is getting friendly with my former mentor. My other one has been unconscious for StarClan-knows how long. One of our senior warriors, and Firestar's mate, is a murderous imposter. I've been hearing voices since I was an apprentice, and oh…by the way. Your sister is expecting kits, and she doesn't know who fathered them._

"No."

"Are you sure?" He curled his tail around her side, and she sighed. Just a few words and she could spill it all. Or, just a rant or two, at least…

"Yeah," she bit her tongue. "I'll be okay."

"Have you seen Millie's kits yet?" He asked.

"No," she admitted. "I figured I'd wait until I was…feeling a little better."

"They're adorable," he pointed out. "I mean…they don't really do anything, of course, but they're cute."

She chuckled. "Of course they don't do anything. What did you expect? They're not even a day old."

"There's two she-cats, and a tom," he went on. "Briarkit, Blossomkit, and Bumblekit. I hope Graystripe wakes up, soon…"

Loneheart let him trail off. He didn't know. He had no idea of the fate the fallen cats were enduring, and the deception the Clan had fallen for with Sandstorm's awakening.

---

"He's more useful than you realize."

"_She _will get us a free shot at our target!"

Hawkfrost blinked his icy eyes and met the emerald stare forcefully.

"Hurting him is more important than this other she-cat you keep on about," Darkstripe hissed. "Wasn't that our goal to begin with? Take revenge?"

"It was," he agreed, "and still is. But you've failed to see that _she _has been a danger to us since her apprentice days. We created our plan without the knowledge of her abilities. We now must consider them."

"She won't stop me," he growled menacingly.

"That's where you're weak," Hawkfrost went on. "You must stop and consider the possible flaws -"

"I call the shots while you're gone, in case you've forgotten!" Darkstripe snapped. "While _you're _prancing around the land of the living, it's up to _me _to continue the plan!"

"Then continue it intelligently," he growled back.

"I don't see why I couldn't have Firestar," he changed the subject. "What I'd give to get my claws into his fur…"

"That's exactly why," Hawkfrost sneered. "You'd give anything. You have to have a level head about it, or you'd give yourself away in a heartbeat. You can't be trusted with him."

The dark tom huffed. "Fine. Have it your way, then. But while you're gone, I'm at least going to have a little fun."

He turned and stalked away, muttering under his breath.

"Hawkfrost," he spit the name with disgust. "Who does he think he is, _Tigerstar?"_

---

The bustling around the nursery came to an abrupt end when Leafpool came streaking out of the medicine den, making a beeline for Firestar. She whispered something frantic into his ear, and the flame-colored tom followed her with a look of fear into her den. Moments later she reappeared, only to disappear into the nursery. Loneheart and Toadstep watched with curiosity as a plump Millie ambled out of the den as quickly as possible, Ferncloud ducking into the warm den right after, most likely to reside over the newborn kits.

---

A dark tom sniggered his delight and leapt upon his target, the other tom yowling with surprise and fear.

---

Loneheart got up and padded hesitantly over to the medicine den, slowly followed by Toadstep. By now most of the Clan was gathering carefully, or at least halting their duties to stare in curiosity and confusion. She peered in, trying not to be too obvious in her intrusion, to find Leafpool urgently trying to get a moss ball soaked with water to settle in Graystripe's limp jaws. Nothing she did could get his unconscious body to swallow water, which up until this point, he had lasted just fine without.

---

The dark tom snagged his claws into the other tom's sides, dragging them backwards with glee, tail lashing delightedly. The other tom defended himself with a twist and a swipe, but his opponent's wound, while evident, did not bleed.

---

Graystripe's breathing came quicker, Millie and Firestar watching with similar expressions of horror. Leafpool was working frantically, occasionally glancing over at Jayfeather's fallen form. Loneheart wondered if she was wishing she had his assistance, and if Jayfeather knew this.

---

Blood coated the grass around them, the gray tom's fur matted with it, the dark tom's muzzle and claws dripping with it. With a triumphant yowl, he lunged and struck his victim's throat, holding his grip until the other cat went limp for a moment, letting the body fall to the ground, where it began to shimmer.

---

Graystripe's breathing came to a steady halt.

Millie reached out and nudged her mate with a shaky paw. When he showed no signs of life, not even the gentle rise and fall of his flank, she let out a horrible wail.

Firestar got to his paws and backed up a step, all body language showing that he wanted nothing more than to sprint from the den. Yet he held his ground, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the fallen body of his friend.

"I'm sorry," Leafpool stammered, shaking her head. "I don't know what happened. I'm so sorry."

Sandstorm, who had squeezed her way in to stand beside Firestar, pressed a bit closer to him. The leader turned and pressed his muzzle into her shoulder, but the she-cat offered no further comfort than a pillar of support.

_Because that's not your mate, _the thought crossed Loneheart's mind, but the death of the senior warrior took center stage. Toadstep pressed a bit closer to her, until she could feel the steady rise and fall of his side. A rhythm of life - one that Graystripe would never experience again.

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Review, please!


	15. A Dark Forest and a Bitter Heart

**Disclaimer; If I owned Warriors, you'd know. The abundance of slash and femslash would be appalling.**

* * *

Loneheart hurried away from the scene.

Dashing into the forest, she simply ran. She had seen Breezepelt use running to relieve his stress or worrying, mostly in hunting rabbits. But after a short time, she came to an abrupt halt. Maybe it had something to do with being a former WindClan cat, because this wasn't working for her. Now she was just scared _and _tired.

She collapsed in a heap, a few fallen leaves crunching under her weight. When she heard the sound continue, she looked back to find Toadstep fast approaching.

"Loneheart," he panted, coming to a stop beside her. "What are you doing?"

"Getting away," she meowed in return. "I can't do this."

"Do what?" He answered, sitting down, draping his tail over her back.

"Breezepelt's going to die!" She burst, looking up at him. "I thought he was just unconscious, that he'd wake up eventually, that everything might be normal - but you saw! Graystripe's dead! Breezepelt isn't _going _to wake up, he's going to die!"

"You don't know that," Toadstep assured her. "Sandstorm woke up."

"I'm tired of cats saying that!" She snapped, getting into a sitting position and shaking Toadstep's tail from her spine. "That doesn't mean anything!"

She cast her green eyes towards the ground, hanging her head. For a moment, there was only silence.

Then, a sound.

A buzzing.

Loneheart slowly lifted her head, and let her eyes widen with horror in Toadstep's direction.

"What?" He meowed.

She opened her mouth to answer, but the humming suddenly increased tenfold in volume, and something in the bushes caught her eye. A shadowy motion. A figure.

The shape of a cat, though it's outline was blurred. It paused in front of them, it's eyeless pits black and haunting.

"Run," Loneheart murmured, unable to tear her eyes from the creature.

"What is that?" Toadstep stammered back in a whisper.

"Go," she urged more loudly, the ghostly figure taking a step forward. "It doesn't want me."

_I wouldn't say _that.

The voice was so much louder than it had ever been, as if she were standing right beside the source.

_I am, _she thought suddenly, _this thing. This is what I've been hearing. _

Then, the creature leapt, stretching it's shadowy claws out towards Toadstep. The tom, frozen with horror, did nothing but stare as the distance between them closed. Loneheart broke away from her trancelike fascination with the creature and threw herself at Toadstep, clamping her jaws around his scruff at the same moment that the shadowy beast connected with him. There was an explosion of buzzing, louder than she could bear, and she nearly let go to escape the ear-splitting sound. Instead, she bit down harder, any pain Toadstep might be feeling due to her bite completely disregarded.

_No! _

_- You -_

_- can't -_

_- have -_

" - Toadstep!"

The buzzing stopped. There was no noise. There was no feeling of Toadstep's fur in her mouth. There was grass beneath her paws, and her jaws were still parted from her audible cry. Looking around, she recognized where she was. Tall, dark trees looming around her. Strange shadows cast over every nook and cranny.

_I've been here before._

"Hello, Loneheart."

She jumped at the voice, turning to see a dark tabby, his icy eyes eerily familiar. She had seen this tom before, when she had ventured here with Jayfeather.

"Welcome to the Dark Forest," he purred.

"How did you know my name?" She inquired. Even if he had somehow discovered it through the last time she had been here, she had been Lone_paw _then.

"I see you daily, Loneheart," he answered. "You don't recognize me?"

She stared, and he chuckled.

"I suppose you wouldn't, though," he went on. "In fact, I'm curled up with your leader right now, fast asleep with him as he grieves."

She almost gasped when it clicked in her mind.

"You're Sandstorm."

"Impersonating her," he corrected with another chuckle, "yes."

A sudden yowl in the distance made her jump, though the tom seemed to hardly notice.

"Darkstripe must be getting bored again," the tom commented listlessly. Loneheart's eyes widened as she realized that the yowl sounded strangely familiar.

"Where's Toadstep?" She demanded, remembering that she was not alone here.

"Wouldn't you like to see Breezepelt?" The tom inquired, ignoring her question. "It's been such a long time…"

"Where are they?" She resisted the urge to hiss. "I want to see them both!"

The tom shrugged, and with a chuckle began walking away. She kept a safe distance, but followed him carefully through the dark forest. She didn't want to approach him, but couldn't risk falling behind his lead and losing herself in such a vast, unknown place. They broke through a series of thick shrubs and entered a clearing, where she found what she had been hoping for. Toadstep - the black and white tom pinned by another cat.

"Loneheart!" He cried, and though he was struggling, he appeared to be unharmed.

"Darkstripe," the other tom flicked his tail at Toadstep's captor. The dark tom scowled. "Fetch Breezepelt for me."

"What makes you think I know where that mangy WindClan tom is?" He snapped, but let Toadstep up and loped into the darkness without waiting for a response.

"Loneheart," the black and white tom hurried to his paws and rushed over. He lowered his voice to a whisper and quickly gave her a single nuzzle. "Where are we?"

"I'll explain soon," she answered quietly, and the tom called Darkstripe reappeared. Loneheart had expected him to be gone for some time, searching for a single cat in this place that seemed to have no direction. Then again, how was she to know how long he had walked this forest? Perhaps such tasks were simple to him by now.

"There now, he wasn't so hard to find, was he?" The other tom praised in a mocking tone. Darkstripe hissed. Then a second cat entered the clearing, one that made Loneheart's spirits soar.

Frankly, he had never looked angrier.

"Breezepelt!" She shouted delightedly, his enraged expression not deterring her after such a long separation. When his amber eyes landed on her, the irritation seemed to ebb away slightly.

Breaking away from Toadstep, she rushed over and nearly tackled him like an excited kit. Breezepelt shouldered her away, but couldn't disguise his purring.

"I'm Loneheart now," she clarified before anything else. "I'm a warrior."

"I know," he answered as she basked in the sound of his voice. "Just because I couldn't stand there with the rest of the Clan didn't mean I was going to miss your ceremony."

"You saw it?" She beamed.

"Of course," he snorted. "Have some faith in me."

"How?" She inquired. "You can see me from here? Can you see the whole Clan?"

"Yes, Breezepelt," Darkstripe laughed, flexing his claws. "Tell her about who _else _you've been watching!"

Breezepelt fell silent, amber eyes burning with a hidden rage that Loneheart hardly recognized. This forest had built up an anger in Breezepelt that Loneheart had never seen before, even after when he had fought with Lionblaze. When the other tom joined in on Darkstripe's laughter, Breezepelt's tail lashed and he rounded on the pair.

"What did you bring me here for?" He shouted. "Send them back already!"

"I don't think so," Darkstripe hissed delightedly.

"Now, hold on a moment, Darkstripe," the other held up his tail, voice like poisoned honey. "These two are our guests, aren't they? We can't very well hold them here."

"Don't be a fool, Hawkfrost," Darkstripe snapped. "We've got them here, we might as well keep them."

Hawkfrost ignored him.

"Loneheart, you may return to your territory," he began, "on one condition. You and Toadstep may leave together - but Breezepelt stays here. Or you and Breezepelt may leave together - but Toadstep stays behind."

"I can't save them both?" She asked, though the inquiry was futile.

"No," Hawkfrost replied. "Unless of course, _you _stay behind..."

"No," Breezepelt interrupted before she could answer.

"Don't, Loneheart," Toadstep insisted from nearby. She thought for a moment, silently, but her quiet musing was quickly shattered by Breezepelt's firm meow.

"Take Toadstep and get out of here," Breezepelt advised. "I don't know how you got in here, but I'd better not see you even _trying _to come back."

"How else are you going to get out?" She turned and whispered harshly at him.

"Don't worry about me," he snapped. "You're safe and well, and it should stay that way. Now tell them you're taking Toadstep and get out of this place!"

"But I want you to come back with us!" She insisted. She didn't want to have to choose between them. She needed more time to think!

"Stop being a whiny kit," he growled, and her ears flattened instantly. "You have a choice to make, and it had better be the right one. You can't have everything you want."

She paused for a moment. Breezepelt was probably right, but how did that make her decision any easier?

"Okay," she meowed hesitantly, looking back at Hawkfrost. She let out a hidden sigh before preparing her answer. "I'm going back with Toadstep."

"So _sacrificing_," Darkstripe mocked, swiping his tongue over his jaws and glancing at Breezepelt.

"I'm not in any hurry to get back," the black tom replied tartly.

"Why's that?" Darkstripe blinked, feigning innocent curiosity. When Breezepelt whipped around to face him, he cackled. "Oh, of course. I forgot the subject was so _sensitive_."

"Do you want me to give anyone a message when I get back?" Loneheart asked quietly, trying to keep the pair of Dark Forest cats from hearing. Breezepelt snorted.

"Oh, you mean Lionblaze?" He said bitterly. "Tell him to get used to not having me around, not that he hasn't already. Because if I ever get out of here, the first thing I'm doing is heading straight for WindClan territory, and I'll get back into my birth Clan if it kills me."

Loneheart stared into his eyes with alarm, and found nothing but bitter anger in them. She did not doubt the truth of his words.

She felt Toadstep's tail coil around hers, and there was a sudden blackness.

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Review, please!


	16. Veiled Threats

Sorry for the wait. The next update may be a little delayed. My computer got mauled by a series of vicious viruses that knocked out the progress I had on the next few chapters. All is good now...I hope, but my usual 'ahead of schedule' style is all screwed up =/

**Disclaimer; do not own.**

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The two of them awoke in the same place they had fallen. Their own territory under their paws, a familiar sky above their heads. Panting, they got to their paws, Toadstep glancing at her.

"You said you'd explain," he reminded her. "We've got time now."

With a swallow, she began. She revealed the voices that had stared as an apprentice, and how she had eventually began having visions. She told him of her first visit to the Dark Forest with Jayfeather, that had gotten him trapped there. She confessed her confirmed suspicions of Sandstorm, and of Firestar's poisoning. Finally, she topped it all off with explaining that Breezepelt and Lionblaze had known, and been trying to help her all along - save for her knowledge about Sandstorm.

"Wait," he paused. "So you're saying Sandstorm,_ isn't_ Sandstorm? It's that tom from the Dark Forest?"

"Hawkfrost," she nodded.

"Why haven't you told Lionblaze?" He inquired. "If he was helping you before, why cut him off?"

Loneheart opened his mouth to reply, and then let it fall shut.

"What is it?" He prodded.

"I haven't felt like talking to Lionblaze lately," she confessed.

"Why not?"

With a sigh, she let her eyes wander towards the ground, scrutinizing the tanning leaves, crusting at the edges rather than answer her friend's question.

"I don't know," she meowed. "He's been getting friendly with Cinderheart, and it just…bothers me. His mate's unconscious. Shouldn't he be a little more concerned with Breezepelt than my old mentor?"

"You know," he began gently, green eyes clear and bright. "Not all cats stay mates their entire lives."

"I know," she answered, a little harshly. When he looked slightly hurt at her attitude, she went on. "Sorry, I just…don't want it to happen to them, that's all."

"I know how you feel," he mewed, and Loneheart knew that he did. Spiderleg and Daisy hadn't been mates for as long as Loneheart could remember - in fact, she hardly ever saw them speak, and Spiderleg went out of his way to avoid interaction with both Toadstep and Rosepetal.

"Don't cut off Lionblaze just because you don't like what he's doing," he urged her, and when his tongue suddenly rasped over her ear, she flattened them instinctively with embarrassment. He pulled back immediately, as if he regretted the action. "You can't judge what he's doing when Breezepelt isn't even around. And either way, he's not forgetting about you. I bet you could still talk to him if you tried."

Loneheart really didn't want to, but something in her mind was telling her that she owed him this. Not Lionblaze, but Toadstep. The black and white tom clearly didn't want to see her ostracize Lionblaze like Spiderleg had done to him. For his sake, she would try to set aside her judgment and tell Lionblaze about her newest developments. But she was going to bring Toadstep with her.

And if things took a turn for the worse, she would give him Breezepelt's message and be done with it.

---

"What are you saying?"

Loneheart and Toadstep had managed to get Lionheart alone, and to Loneheart's surprise, prying Cinderheart from his fur had been much easier than expected. They were still far too close for her liking, but perhaps they weren't as attached as she had feared.

"Sandstorm isn't Sandstorm," Loneheart repeated. They had explained everything Loneheart had so far not, including their trip to the Dark Forest...though she had decided to conveniently leave out Breezepelt, since Lionblaze was being surprisingly tolerable. "She's - _he's _some cat called Hawkfrost."

Lionblaze let out a cross between a hiss and a sigh, digging his claws into the ground.

"That's what I was worried about," he murmured. "You don't understand how dangerous Hawkfrost can be."

"You know him?" Loneheart blinked. "How?"

"It doesn't matter," he shook his head. "But yes, I do."

"If he's so dangerous, why don't we get rid of him?" Toadstep suggested. "Can't we do that?"

"How?" Lionblaze countered. "Kill him? While he's using her body that would kill Sandstorm too, and probably trap her soul in the Dark Forest."

"Wait," Loneheart suddenly thought, "if you die while in the Dark Forest, you're stuck there?"

"Logically," Lionblaze blinked, though he didn't sound entirely certain.

"So Graystripe's spirit is stuck there?"

There was a silence. Clearly, no one had considered that yet.

"We can't worry about him yet," Lionblaze shook his head, continuing on. "Keep trying to find out anything you can, and don't cause any trouble with Sand - Hawkfrost," he caught his mistake. "And stay out of the Dark Forest. Next time you're there, I doubt he will be so generous as to let you leave."

When the group returned to camp, Loneheart spotted Rosepetal from across camp, beaming. The she-cat eyed them straight away and made a beeline for them.

"Guess what?" She meowed, Lionblaze already meandering away. Loneheart pried her wandering eyes away from him as she spotted his target - Cinderheart.

"What?" Toadstep cocked his head to the side.

"I'm expecting kits!" She burst delightedly, and Loneheart did her best to pull off a joyous congratulations. Guilt swirled in her belly as she stomached Toadstep's prodding about who the father was.

_I know, _she refrained from admitting. _Well, not really, but I know more than you. And you haven't done anything to deserve me keeping it from you._

But she had been open with Toadstep about the _really _important things, like the Dark Forest and Hawkfrost. It wouldn't hurt to keep this one little thing to herself, would it? After all…it wasn't her secret. It was Rosepetal's.

_So I'm not really being secretive at all. It's Rosepetal who's not telling the truth. _

She assured herself of this until Toadstep's questioning was nothing more than background noise.

---

Lionblaze could hear the splashing.

The ginger warrior's paw lashed out, slapping the water and hooking a fair-sized minnow. The fish flopped onto the pebbles before a pair of fangs closed around it, tearing away at it's flesh until merely bones remained. The cat licked her jaws and sat up, staring into the nearby forest.

"You might as well come out," she called. "I know when I'm being watched."

Lionblaze winced, but shook it off and stepped out of hiding, eying the she-cat with a hard stare.

"Fishing?" He wrinkled his nose. "Couldn't stomach a ThunderClan diet for long, could you, Hawkfrost?"

The other's whiskers twitched with amusement.

"Loneheart gave me away, then?" She - or rather _he -_ purred.

"How long were you planning to stay hidden?" He growled. "You belong in the Dark Forest."

"Have plans to send me back?" He chuckled. "How will ThunderClan react? One of their most trusted, skilled warriors, murdering Firestar's mate and a respected senior warrior in cold blood?'

Lionblaze dug his claws into the ground, knowing the other cat was right. Hawkfrost laughed, Sandstorm's body shuddering with the sound.

"Did Loneheart ever deliver the message, then?" He asked. Lionblaze's claws retracted slowly.

"What message?"

The laughing resumed.

"Well, then," he purred, padding a few steps closer to Lionblaze and beckoning him with a gesture. Lionblaze ignored it, staying firmly planted where he was. "Allow me to do Breezepelt the favor and give you a little idea of what your _mate _has been up to."

"Wait, a message from Breezepelt?" He sputtered. Loneheart hadn't said anything about seeing Breezepelt.

Why would she leave that out?

"If you thought that scrawny WindClan tom had left you all alone," Hawkfrost ignored him, carrying on in an innocent, mocking tone, "you were mistaken. He's been keeping a close eye on you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he _was_ at least," the other cat chuckled, "but he wasn't very happy with what he was seeing. But who can blame him? You did a _masterful _job fooling him, Lionblaze."

Lionblaze was silent for a moment, confusion still his primary emotion. Before he could ask any further questions, Hawkfrost strode past him, proving his confidence that Lionblaze would not hurt him in Sandstorm's body as he left his entire back unguarded.

"We'd better get back to camp," he meowed in a dainty voice. "_Cinderheart _will be waiting for you."

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Review?


	17. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello, my readers, it is indeed your long-lost author StormyNight55. Rest assured, I have not given up on FF. Some of you may be happy to hear I'm still writing…others are probably just pissed that this is an author's note and not a real update. I could list all the xcuses In the world as to why it's been so long, such as my virus-filled laptop and the 6 projects that school sprung upon me within the last two weeks. It's been a ridiculous end to the school year, and with only finals left to get through, I'm rising from the dead and reappearing online. Though 'Revenge' has hit a huge writer's block, you know what they say. When one door closes [or jams, or whatnot] another opens. This is completely true, as a 'Distorted Reality' sequel has recently risen out of the depths of my mind and into my computer. So, to any that it may concern, that will in theory be starting up soon! Perhaps subscribe to 'author alert' so that you'll know when it happens? ; D

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Thank you for putting up with my extremely unwarranted absence, to any that are still here.


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